


The Royal Carriers

by Takara_Phoenix



Series: Stories with Donny, Sander, Sam, Derek and Trend [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Anal, Discrimination, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Masturbation, Mpreg, Multi, Next Generation, Nicercy - Freeform, Nicercy's kids, Oral, Past Rape/Non-con, Polyamory, Shounen-ai, Slash, Slavery, Threesome - M/M/M, former-slave-carrier!Percy, king!Nico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-22 07:19:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 88,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2499362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carriers, males who can get pregnant, are sold as pleasure slaves, as means to reproduce. Not regarded as real humans.<br/>Well, not everywhere at least.<br/>King Nico decided to break the rules when he married his slave Percy and the two of them are raising their carrier son Donny as heir to the throne.<br/>When a good friend of Nico's passes away, he wants to help the only son and now new king through this hard time. He gets the young king named Derek a special coronation present - a carrier named Sam. While Donny finds a labor slave who is more than just interesting - Sander.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Royal's Plan

Title: The Royal Carriers – Two Kingdoms, One Mindset

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; total AU

Disclaimer : All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, threesome, explicit intercourse, masturbation, anal, oral, mpreg, pregnancy, slavery, male carrier discrimination, violence, rape, dealing with rape, shoujo-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Trend/Derek/Sam

Side Pairings: Nico/Percy, Sander/Donny, Luke(Chase)/Thess, Percy(Junior)/Kitty, Luke/Octavian, Herc/Thea, Joe/Nico(Zhang), Marshall/Sara, Piper/Annabeth, Jason/Reyna, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Charles/Silena, Grover/Juniper, Malcolm/Katie, Chris/Clarisse, Tyson/Ella, Tempest/Blackjack

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Luke Castellan, Octavian Simmons, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace, Malcolm Cage, Katie Gardner, Grover Underwood, Juniper, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Ethan Nakamura, Alabaster C. Torrington, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Ella, Tyson, Tempest, Blackjack

Own Characters : Samuel Raser, Derek Rhys ,  Trend Austin, Marshall Mikaelson,  Phylicia Rosenberg , Bellatrix la Fey , Sara Mers, Joanna Foxx

Own Characters of the Next Generation : 

_Nico/Percy_ : Hades Poseidon di Angelo, Sally Persephone di Angelo, Theseus Paul di Angelo, James Charles di Angelo, Laura Silena di Angelo, Jackson Tyson di Angelo

_Chris/Clarisse_ : Chrysander Rodriguez, Charisma Rodriguez

_Piper/Annabeth_ :  Theadora Tiphane Chase, Lucas Thomas Chase, Tristan Frederick Chase,  Matthew Robert Chase

_Jason/Reyna_ : Hercules Grace, Thalia Hylla Grace, Jupiter Perseus Grace

_Frank/Hazel/Leo_ : Esperanza Nicole Zhang, Sammy Marie Zhang, Emily Fey Zhang

_Travis/Connor_ : Hunter Hood, Hayden Hood

_Luke/Octavian_ : Sedanur Simmons

_Jake/Will_ : Elizabeth Mason

_Malcolm/Katie_ : Amarilla Cage, Anthismos Cage

_Lou/Miranda_ : Kathryn Ellen, Alabaster Ellen

Own Horses : Rush, Fighter, Shadowchaser, Trickster, Nightowl

Summary: After King Hades had died, Nico had ascended to the throne, just a lost and lonely little prince, unsure what to do with himself. An allied king named Matthew had helped him on his rocky path and when King Matthew passes away, leaving his only son and heir Derek in quite the similar situation, Nico wants to provide the same kind of guidance for Derek that he had received.

Nico's heir and pride Donny had grown up being close friends with Derek so Nico sends his son to comfort Derek and invite him over to their realm, to ensure Derek that he had an ally in Nico.

In a world where some males are born with the ability to carry children, seen as a present from the gods and sold as valuable slaves, Nico could call himself lucky to own Percy, who had blessed him with seven wonderful children so far. When love had blossomed between them, the slave had risen to become Nico's queen. And now that Derek was the only one left of his family, Nico wants to give Derek a beautiful and kind carrier as a coronation present, because Derek needs an heir.

Derek, involved and in love with his adviser Trend, had his eyes set on a carrier-slave who had danced on the annual Spring Celebration, but the boy had slipped away from him. It's his luck that Donny manages to track exactly that carrier down to have him waiting in Donny's home for Derek's visit. When finding the carrier named Sam, Donny also finds something gorgeous for himself.

Now Donny has Sander and is falling in love with his slave, even though the young carrier-prince needs to find a suitable king, while Derek and Trend deal with their previously abused carrier.

 

**The Royal Carriers**

_ Two Kingdoms, One Mindset _

 

_Chapter 1: A Royal's Plan_

 

King Nico di Angelo had been relatively young when his father, King Hades, had passed away and he had to ascend onto the throne. He had been afraid and intimidated by the responsibilities that were thrown upon him, had felt alone and somehow scared. Their kingdom's greatest ally had helped him through that hard time, had provided the guidance he had needed.

King Matthew had taught him how to be a good king, even without his father around. Nico's gratitude had shown by tightening the bonds between their two realms, making them the most powerful union in their known world. King Matthew had only one child, his only heir Prince Derek.

Derek was, to put it lightly, an arrogant little prat. An only child and prince; what else was to be expected of him, after all? Nico knew better though, he saw through the facade, saw the fear. A fear to one day become the king, to one day become a king not half the king his father was. To disappoint his kingdom. Nico had felt the same way after his father's death and King Matthew had made it possible for Nico to overcome that fear. So Nico had sworn to return the favor and make sure Derek's path would be an even one. That had started out early, when Nico had pushed his oldest son, Prince Donny, to befriend the other prince. To strengthen the bond between both realms and also to ensure that he would have a connection to Derek, in the worst case.

“Nico?”, whispered a soft voice. “You have that brooding look going on, you know that brooding look upsets me and makes me worry and you know worry isn't good for our baby, my king.”

Nico snorted amused as he turned toward his lover, slave and queen. You could say their relationship was not the most orthodox, but it didn't make it any less intense and real. Percy was the most mesmerizing creature Nico had ever seen. Sea-green, emotional eyes, dark, messy hair, sun-kissed, soft skin, long legs, a cute nose, full, pink lips. Nico had seen the other on the slave-market twenty years ago and he had known, the instant their eyes locked and the stubborn slave had spit into Nico's face out of principle, that Nico had to have the fierce beauty.

Percy was a rare and valuable possession. A male carrier. They were sold for pleasure and reproductive purposes, for only the strongest and most potent men could dominate another man. It was a sign of strength to have a male lover, a status-symbol so to speak. Those who couldn't afford a carrier had an affair with a regular man beside their marriage to a female, to prove a point too. But the truth was; everyone wanted to own a carrier. Mostly so because carriers were known for their high fertility. A blessing from the gods, presents for mankind. So carriers were especially sought out in royal families, who thought they deserved that present from the gods.

And King Nico di Angelo owned the most beautiful carrier of them all. Getting up from his chair, Nico walked over to his slave. His slave who had all too soon fallen in love with Nico and had made Nico fall no less in love with him. They became lovers and when Nico first held his firstborn child, he knew that Percy was more than a slave or even a lover. He was the mother of Nico's child, the one who had given birth to his heir. Percy was his queen. The wedding followed soon after and even though it had made many uneasy that Nico had married a slave, the status of Percy being a carrier had eased the minds of his people. And since Percy had blessed their kingdom with seven heirs so far – expecting the eighth right now – the folk cheered for their queen. It also helped that Percy was the kindest and most lovable person Nico had ever made and had easily charmed the people of Itannwn into adoring him and accepting him as their queen.

“Our baby isn't bothered when you fuss over our other children, I doubt your worry about my brooding look will affect the little one any more”, chuckled Nico and kissed Percy tenderly.

It was their eighth baby. Eight healthy, beautiful children, all thanks to his amazing queen. Even after all those years, Nico sometimes still had problems believing how lucky he was.

“What are you brooding about, my king and master?”, asked Percy softly, leaning against Nico.

“News reached me, that... King Matthew has passed away”, replied Nico with a frown.

“Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. He was important to you”, murmured Percy, resting his head against Nico's chest. “What do you plan to do now, Nico? I mean... What about Derek?”

“Derek will rise to be king now, following his father's footsteps, or at least attempting to”, stated Nico, tightening his arms around Percy's waist. “I worry about him though...”

“You do sound doubtful. Why do you sound doubtful? I thought you liked the lad”, questioned Percy. “Don't you trust him to become a king worthy of Fólannia's crown?”

“I do”, confirmed Nico with a slow nod. “I just don't know if he's ready for this kind of responsibility yet. Or how he is handling his father's death. I'm worried about him, you know?”

“Send Donny over”, suggested Percy simply.

“Mh?”, grunted Nico confused, looking down at his queen.

“Donny, you know, our son. He's friends with Prince Derek, isn't he? Send Donny to check on the prince, or future king, see how he's doing. Invite the future king over to our realm, to show those who may be doubtful about the prince becoming a king that Prince Derek has our full support.”

“You truly are the best queen I could have wished for”, murmured Nico, kissing Percy again.

“I know”, chimed Percy with a mischievous grin. “I'll talk to Piper in the morning and send her out to help Donny packing and then I'll get our little darling set for the journey.”

Donny was their second born child, only sixteen at the moment. His older sister had joined the army – the all-female special force of the Hunt – making Donny the heir of the throne. Those little journeys were a good thing to ease Donny into his future responsibilities as the queen.

Donny had inherited the carrier-gene and albeit frowned upon, Percy was already a well-loved queen to this country so Nico was confident that one day, Donny would be as good a queen as Percy. The only problem was that Nico was afraid what kind of man may be the king at Donny's side. To most people, carriers were little more than a dog. Held as pets, as simple lust-slaves and breeding bitches. Nico had often seen how other royals mistreated their carriers. And Nico was afraid that his baby boy would end up with someone not worthy of him, someone who would treat Donny like he wasn't worth a dime. The truth was that men like Nico were rare. Those who treated carriers like humans, like equals even, who fell in love with them.

Nico wished for Donny to have that too.

And if he was being truly honest, he had hoped for Donny to find that in Derek. It had been another reason why Nico had pushed the friendship between the two young princes, because Derek was the last of his line and he would need heirs, but it had manifested early that Derek was more interested in the male gender than he was in the female. Derek was a prat, but deep down, he was a good kid and with the close friendship between their kingdoms, Derek had grown up respecting carriers too. Derek would be an honorable and decent husband for Donny and that would truly be a good union for their kingdoms. Not that Nico planned on forcing them into anything, he just... _hoped_.

“What do you think about Derek, as a... future son-in-law?”, suggested Nico softly.

Percy was contently curled together against Nico's chest. “You want him for Donny.”

“Yes. I've been thinking about it for some time now”, nodded Nico, caressing Percy's hair.

“I'm not... sure”, confessed Percy with a frown. “Don't get me wrong, I like Derek and I think he's going to be a great king some day, but when I see him and Derek interacting, I see two gossiping best friends, not two potential lovers. There is no spark between them. And I want that for my Donny, for _any_ of my children really. Love. I mean... I _know_ that Donny can consider himself lucky if he has a best friend in his husband, but... I still hope he may find true love...”

“ _We_ didn't start off as true love either. It scarcely does”, murmured Nico, nose buried in Percy's hair, inhaling deeply. “Perhaps if Derek and Donny were married, if they would expect children, maybe that may ignite that spark you're hoping for. If given time, they could fall in love...”

“Suppose you're right, but...”, sighed Percy, burying his face in Nico's chest.

“I know, mio amore”, chuckled Nico amused. “You imagine the full-blown romance for Donny. To meet the perfect prince on one of our balls, or a ball we go and attend. The perfect dance beneath the moonlight, true love's first kiss, then the courting and engagement and the perfect marriage.”

“One can dream, right?”, huffed Percy a little embarrassed.

“Well, let's send Donny over to consult Derek and... see where this is going”, murmured Nico. “Perhaps this life-changing event may also change their feelings, bring them closer.”

“I highly doubt that”, whispered Percy and shook his head. “Last time Prince Derek had been over, I caught him with his adviser. And I'm pretty sure it was more than just fooling around, I saw it in their eyes. They're in love with each other, Nico.”

“You and me both know that this relationship there won't last. Can't last”, grunted Nico sternly. “Trend is a nice kid and all, but neither of them is a carrier and Derek, as the last member of his family, _needs_ to have heirs. He either needs to find a queen, or buy a carrier. _Or_ marry Donny.”

Percy nodded in slow-motion. He knew what Nico said made sense. Their kingdoms were close and  _truly_ united, the new realm would be overwhelmingly strong. Derek would be a good husband, would treat Donny right and if the two best friends would be married, Derek may be able to keep his relationship with Trend – even though it would have to be a hidden affair – but Donny would allow his husband happiness. Even if it meant no happiness for himself. Donny was just that much like Percy, he would sacrifice his own happiness for that of those he loved. The thing was that Percy wanted more than just friendship-love for Donny, he wanted romance-love for Donny. He wanted the things that Percy had found in Nico, but they hadn't had the most romantic and happy start either, so maybe Nico's method was the right one. Maybe if Donny and Derek were to marry, then they could find love in each other. As long as Donny was kept safe.

“You know that Donny still has some months left to find true love before you get to arrange any kind of marriage for our son”, said Percy nonetheless. “If _King_ Derek doesn't have a queen by then, we can propose that idea to them both. It would be a good settlement for Donny.”

“As you wish, my queen”, agreed Nico. “We both want the same. We want a worthy husband for Donny. I'm just not as convinced as you are that Donny will find his Prince Charming before his seventeenth birthday and as our heir and future queen, he needs a husband before then.”

“Our Donny is a little charmer. If he wouldn't be so shy, he may have found his Prince Charming already, but he's just not brave enough to approach anyone”, sighed Percy frustrated.

“True enough”, agreed Nico thoughtful. “Then again, I think he's afraid. Afraid to make a wrong decision. It's a pretty large burden that the one he chooses will be the future king of Itannwn. He doesn't want to disappoint us, or our people. I remember that feeling all too well.”

“I know, my love”, whispered Percy softly and leaned up to kiss his king. “But you did good.”

“By breaking all tradition and marrying my gorgeous, little carrier”, huffed Nico with a grin, his arms around Percy's waist, pulling the carrier closer. “A slave, made the queen. The ruckus I raised... I think my father would have had a heart-attack if he had lived to see the day.”

“And still here I am, being your wonderful queen”, grinned Percy mischievously, kissing Nico again, his arms around the king's neck. “Sometimes, traditions and rules need to be broken and re-defined so our society can evolve and bloom. I trust Donny to have the same instincts as you and make the right decision that will lead our kingdom into a brighter future.”

“Wise words, as expected of you, my wise queen”, hummed Nico with a slow nod.

“You know you're the only one to call me wise”, whispered Percy amused, kissing Nico's jaw.

“Well, many are stupid enough to judge a carrier by just that. Being a carrier. They think all you're useful for is bearing children and spreading your legs while looking pretty”, stated Nico, tenderly caressing Percy's pregnant belly. “But you're brilliant. Maybe not book-brilliant like Octavian and Annabeth, or strategist-brilliant like Luke and Jason, but you, you are... heart-brilliant. You have a big heart and you make your decisions with it, which are wiser than many others.”

 

/break\

 

Prince Derek was drunk. A regular occurrence these days. His adviser, lover and oldest friend frowned concerned as he carried the drunk prince to their chambers. Derek was small, lithe, with shoulder-long, dark-brown curls and deep, dark emerald eyes. He was a bit on the feminine side, but that didn't take away any of his masculinity, as obscure as that may sound. Derek was strong, confident – sometimes a little too confident, so much that it was more arrogance really – and he could dominate a whole room of aristocrats. He had that air about himself that could make someone cower and obey him. It was quite fascinating to watch.

“Trend, you stay?”, yawned the sleepy prince, tugging on his adviser's robes.

Trend chuckled softly and crawled into bed with his lover. They had grown up together, Trend had been raised to be Prince Derek's adviser. They had edged on a lot. Fought a lot. Trend was a disciplined, well-trained boy, Derek had been a reckless, egocentric prat. When they had hit their teens, their fights had led to angry sex. The sex was something they could work with and soon, their relationship took an entirely different turn. Trend was who he was supposed to be. Derek's closest confider. But their relationship wasn't meant to last. Derek was the only child of an only child. There was no great-grand-cousin who could take the throne if Derek died next, so Derek would need an heir. Without a woman or a carrier, that wouldn't happen. And Trend knew that, was painfully aware that he was only an affair at the sidelines. Even though he did enjoy that too, he wanted more. He wanted to stay at Derek's side and protect him. Submissives were manipulative, Trend knew that from his own experiences with Derek (even though 'submissive' would be one of the last words Trend would ever use to describe Derek, because the brunette was a manipulator and control-freak who liked to dominate a situation, even though he bottomed for Trend). Trend didn't want to witness how some manipulative skank used Derek for his power and wealth.

“Sleep some, my prince”, ordered Trend softly, kissing Derek's shoulder. “Tomorrow will be an important day and you should be sober for that. It would... help your image.”

Many didn't trust the sixteen years old to become a king worthy of Matthew's throne. Tomorrow was an important and official day though, the first test Derek would be put to after his father's day.

 

/break\

 

Derek was bored out of his mind. He was glad that he had his trusted trio with him – his adviser Trend, his bodyguard Marshall and his handmaiden Sara. His own, little royal court. The only people in the palace who he truly trusted. Marshall was the silent, brooding type. Dark-skinned, his ancestors being from the colonies in Africa. But he was a loyal knight to the crown, the head of Derek's knights. Sara was a loud and happy girl, and a loyal friend. And Trend was... damn, Trend was something else. Stoic, stubborn, intellectual, a trained knight and the most intelligent person Derek knew. Also an excellent lover. Derek had been raised not to show his emotions, because they were his weakness and if he admitted them, they could be exploited. But, just to himself, Derek had to admit that he was kind of in love with Trend.

He was aware that he could never make Trend his royal consort, because he needed an heir. He'd have to get a carrier. Not a wife, the mere thought of laying with a woman made him want to puke. But a carrier, that he could probably live with. He had had flings before, had topped with others. And he had to admit, he really enjoyed it. Something he couldn't do with Trend. So a carrier wasn't exactly something Derek would despise. The problem though was Trend. He didn't want to lose Trend for a nice piece of ass and a baby. The only option, in Derek's mind, would be a carrier that held the same appeal to both, Derek and Trend. Because that carrier would be shared. Because Derek was not going to give Trend up. So he had to find something that Trend liked.

And today was the perfect opportunity for that. It was the annual Spring Dance. The carrier trader traveled throughout the continent, showing off his goods. The carriers danced at the courts of the royals, to bring the lands prosperity and fertility. Which meant the most beautiful carriers would be dancing at Derek's court tonight. Right now they were off-limits, they couldn't be sold during the dance tour. But Derek could pick one, maybe tell the trader to keep that one saved for him. Kings always had first choice when it came to carriers.

Still, right now Derek was bored. Because the dancers weren't out yet and the politicians were still talking and babbling and Derek just wanted to watch some hot, cute guys dancing for him, really.

“Now, to get to the main attraction, Trader Jones and his carriers”, announced a dark voice.

Derek perked up some, aware of the look Trend was giving him. Derek knew how Trend felt about all of this. Even though Derek had told him that nothing would change, even if Derek would buy a carrier, Trend still thought he would be out of the picture. Derek grabbed his lover's hand.

“Mh?”, grunted Trend and leaned in some, thinking Derek wanted something.

“I love you”, pressed Derek out, whispering into Trend's ears. “Don't doubt it.”

Trend stiffened surprised and stared at his king. They had never said _that_. They spend all their time together, were intimate, kissed and fucked, but they had never put a name to it. Trend was wise enough not to declare his love to his king. He blinked a couple of times as he stared at Derek.

“I... I love you too”, whispered Trend back, caressing the back of Derek's hand with his thumb.

They couldn't kiss, not in public, not in front of other royal visitors. Their relationship was tolerated, not accepted. But there was a tenderness in Derek's dark, green eyes. A tenderness that was so very rare. Trend had ever only seen it on rare occasions, when Derek had been a very little boy. He had been very isolated, trained to become the king at an early age already.

“At least try and pay attention to the attraction”, stated Marshall's dark voice behind them.

Derek and Trend flushed a little as they turned back to the front to watch the dance. There were a lot of carriers – three dozens at least – all only dressed in the shortest, most see-through silken robes, adored with jewels and gold and silver. They looked expensive. Well, they were expensive. Worth more than most of the treasures in the kingdoms. Derek's eyes wandered with only mild interest. Pretty, frail little things. Playthings he would keep for one night, but not more. Boring. He didn't like the cute little carriers, the girly ones. He liked his men strong, muscular and tall. Like that one. Emerald eyes widened stunned as he spotted the one that wasn't like the others.

Normally, carriers were lithe, small, nearly girlish sometimes. They weren't really allowed to do much exercises – because carriers had to be cute, submissive little things. They were also often pale, kept in houses and locked away until they were being sold. Purity in their pale skin, because they didn't do manual labor outside. But this one carrier, he was about the opposite of what was usual. He had bronze-skin, tightly wrapped around gorgeous muscles. When that boy belly-danced, his six-pack was more than enchanting. And so were those _arms_. Derek drooled just seeing those biceps. And the way those hips moved, left to right and right to left, it was like the hypnotic swing of a pendant. Derek gulped hard as he found his favorite body-part of the carrier and it surprised him which one that was. Not the cock or even the perfect bubble-butt, but the eyes. They were dark, like a jungle or forest and as the boy danced in the front row, so close to Derek and his court, Derek could see all the different shades of green there were. More than Derek had ever seen. And his favorite color was green, the color of their kingdom. But these eyes, they held more shades of green than Derek had ever seen in his life. He could spend all day staring into them, counting every shade.

“He's gorgeous...”, whispered Derek stunned, completely transfixed by the green-eyed beauty.

Trend nodded slowly. He knew who his lover was talking about. The bronze-skinned Adonis was pretty hard to miss. Peanut-colored curls swaying around his face as he stared proudly. Most others had their heads lowered, staring submissively at the floor while dancing. But this one, he was fierce. He was staring straight ahead, even dared to glare at Derek. The look in those green eyes send one clear message: _You may make me dance like a puppet, but you don't own me_. It was interesting, to say the least. Slaves, especially carriers, knew better than to challenge royalty – especially so a king. But this one, he didn't care. It made Trend grin a little.

“You two are drooling a bit there”, pointed Marshall out, sound all business and neutral.

Once again, the bodyguard made Derek and Trend blush a bit. Both simultaneously tried to wipe their chins, just to notice that Marshall had tricked them. The dark-skinned man was grinning amused and Sara was laughing as Derek and Trend glared annoyed.

 

/break\

 

The rest of the night passed with a lot of alcohol and food. Derek and Trend stumbled back into their chambers lip-locked. Derek's arms were wrapped around Trend's neck greedily.

“Did you like him?”, asked Derek against his lover's lips.

“Who?”, asked Trend in return, practically throwing his lover onto the bed.

“The pretty one with the green eyes and the bronze skin”, stated Derek, sitting up.

“The cheeky one”, nodded Trend thoughtful. “He didn't lower his eyes. Not once.”

“Feisty, yes”, agreed Derek with a cheeky grin of his own. “Kept glaring at me.”

“And you liked that?”, interrogated Trend as he stripped down.

“Well, I'm the king. I'm used to everyone kissing my feet. You don't. You've always spoken your mind. It's what I value the most about you”, replied Derek softly. “What good would a carrier be if he'd just submissively lay there and take it? That would really just make him that. A carrier. Not a person. I want a person. A challenge. Someone I could have feelings for.”

“So you have decided”, observed Trend lowly, slowly walking up to the bed.

“Depends on what you think, idiot”, sighed Derek and reached out for his lover. “I want you. I am not giving you up. I know I need an heir, but when I get a carrier, I will get one that you want too, because he would be _ours_ and not mine. I will never end our relationship, Trend. Not over something as trivial as finding someone to have my heir. This is _our_ choice, not just mine.”

“You're weird, my king”, stated Trend with a fond smile.

“They say love has that effect on people”, whispered Derek and kissed Trend.

“I like the sound of that”, observed Trend, caressing Derek's cheek. “So you're serious then?”

“About the carrier being ours? Yes”, nodded Derek. “I like that one, but if you'd prefer a different one, we can, I don't know, go shopping or whatever you'd call it. I want to chose the mother of _our_ children _together_ with you, Trend. Because any family in my future, I'd like to share with you.”

Trend was stunned silent. Derek wasn't the type to talk about his feelings and emotional desires, so either he had enough alcohol in his system to loosen him up so much, or this was _seriously_ important to the king. And something told Trend that it was a combination of both, because even though it was highly important to Derek, Derek had needed the wine for courage.

“I like him too”, whispered Trend against his lips. “He was gorgeous and fierce. Like a tiger, caught by a hunter. I'd love to try and tame him, with you.”

“Yeah, that sounds good”, grinned Derek and leaned in the last inch for another kiss.

 

/break\

 

But by the time Derek and Trend rolled out of bed the next day, completely hungover from last night's feast, the slave-trader and his dancers had already moved on to the next kingdom, having left by sunrise to be on time. Chances that this particular slave won't be sold by the time the trader returned to their kingdom were ridiculously low.


	2. A Royal's Journey

_Chapter 2: A Royal's Journey_

 

Percy heaved a sigh as he waddled through the palace. Oh, he loved his children and most of the time, he loved being a carrier. Being Nico's carrier. Mostly so because he loved Nico. But that close to the birth, this whole being-pregnant-thing kind of sucked. Every guard and servant in the castle basically stumbled over each other to try and help him. He was not helpless. He had already successfully birthed seven heirs to his king, he knew the drill. He knew how to handle his situation. So he didn't need the help of someone wise-assing him on what he could and couldn't do.

“Baby boy?”, asked Percy as he knocked at the door of his oldest son's chambers.

“Come in, mom!”, called Donny from inside.

Percy smiled as he entered the chamber. Donny was with his own adviser Thea Chase and his bodyguard Herc Grace. It was a tradition of royalty of their continent, to raise a prince and princess with three vital helpers – a servant, a bodyguard and an adviser. All three around the same age as the royal family member, so the prince of princess would befriend them and grow up with a court of their own, someone he or she knew to trust. Herc for example was the son of Nico's bodyguard, while Thea was the daughter of Percy's adviser (Percy had freaked out when Nico had just presented him with his own court. From slave to queen had been _quite_ the change).

“Hello, kids”, smiled Percy and sat down on Donny's bed.

“What can I do for you, mother?”, asked Donny and rolled onto his stomach, looking at him.

Donny was gorgeous, with Nico's olive skin and dark curls, but Percy's sea-green eyes. He was also kind and passionate and Percy was sure his baby boy would be a good queen one day, even though Donny himself had a lot of doubts about that. Percy leaned in and ruffled Donny's hair.

“King Matthew died”, stated Percy softly. “A letter reached your father two days ago.”

The laughter died on Donny's face. “But... Derek already lost his mom...”

“He's the king now”, nodded Percy and averted his eyes.

“Oh...”, mumbled Donny, also averting his own eyes. “I... I'm sorry for him. You're not allowed to die, like _ever_. And neither is dad. You both can never-ever die.”

“Of course, sweetling”, cooed Percy and hugged his son tightly.

“And... And what now?”, asked Donny against Percy's shoulder.

“Your father suggested to send you over to Fólannia, to show our condolences”, replied Percy, his voice soothing. “You will one day become queen and he thinks it's a good way for you to learn the responsibility of a ruler. Besides, you're Derek's friend. At a time like this, I'm sure he'd like to have a friend close. Go and spend some time with him. Invite him over to our kingdom. As the new king, he will have to tour his father's allies to reconnect and make his own allies, tell him to start at ours since he already has our support, but once it's official, others may be more inclined to side with him too. Your father's support will be a great aid for the young king.”

“I...”, started Donny unsure, wavering at the prospect of such an important task. “Yes, mother.”

But his friend needed him and that was more important. Percy smiled proudly at him.

 

/break\

 

After his mother left his room, Donny fell into a frenzy. He started pacing his room, throwing random things onto his bed (most of the times also hitting Herc and Thea), mumbling to himself. This was so much responsibility. And how was he supposed to help his friend Derek through such hard times? He himself couldn't even begin to picture what losing one parent would feel like, much less what it must be like to have lost both of them like Derek had. It was horrible.

“Donny, please calm down”, pleaded his best friend and adviser.

Thea looked concerned, her storm-gray eyes trailing after him as he continued walking around his room. She knew the effect that pressure had on the young prince. He didn't deal well with it.

“I should probably go and alert Phyl that we're leaving soon”, mused Herc and stood.

Donny nodded and watched his blonde bodyguard lead. Yes. Phyl, Donny's handmaiden. She needed to come too. At least Donny didn't have to go alone, he would have those three with him.

 

/break\

 

Donny was nervous as he paced in front of his carriage. Herc was loading up Donny's suitcases.

“Come on, this is going to be fun”, whispered Thea and nudged her friend softly.

“Yeah. I mean, it's an adventure”, agreed Herc with an encouraging grin.

The only one looking unsure was Phyl, the beautiful yet shy brunette was Donny's handmaiden. She was braiding her hair, a nervous habit of hers. She didn't like leaving the safety of the palace, so that's something Donny and her agreed on. They'd rather stay safe at home.

“My baby, I'll miss you”, sobbed Percy as he pulled Donny into a tight hug.

He blamed the hormones for not being able to keep it together and he could hear his other children snickering behind him. As soon as he let go of Donny, Donny was clomped by his younger siblings. The fourteen years old twins Theseus Paul and Sally Persephone were the first ones, followed by the younger twins James Charles and Laura Silena, both nine years old.

“Daddy, why do you send Donny away? Was he naughty?”, asked their youngest.

The five years old was an exact copy Percy, which made it all the harder for Nico to deny the boy. The king knelt down and picked the little boy up, Jack having his thumb caught in his mouth.

“No, bambino, he wasn't. He's visiting his friend Derek. You remember Derek?”, whispered Nico.

“Uhu”, nodded Jack and turned to his big brother. “But I don't want you to go!”

“I'll come back”, grinned Donny and ruffled his baby brother's hair. “And you have to keep mommy safe until I get back, clear? I don't want our baby sister to arrive while I'm gone.”

“Okay, big brother”, nodded Jack seriously, making grabby motions for him. “I'll miss you.”

“We all will”, stated Nico, looking honestly into his oldest son's eyes. “I know you'll do good and make me proud, Hades Poseidon. Tell Derek he will always have a place to come to for aid.”

They hugged tightly. Herc on the driver's seat coughed slightly, alerting Donny that it was time to go. Each member of his family hugged him for a last time before Donny joined the girls inside the carriage. Thea and Phyl were sitting opposite him. Four horses were pulling his carriage. Blackjack, Tempest, Shadowchaser and Nightowl. Nightowl was Thea's, Tempest was Herc's and Blackjack was his mother's, all four of them stallions. Nico didn't have a horse, he wasn't exactly one for those animals. But Percy had a close connection to them and Blackjack was, well, he had been the very first Percy had trusted. Most carriers had a special connection to animals, could even talk to them, in a way. Carriers were gifts from the gods, a close connection to fertility and nature. At least in their culture they were seen as gifts. Over the seas they were seen as witches, even creatures send from the devil to tempt humans. Donny didn't exactly like either. Dying at the stake, being a slave. Neither was really great, but his home was making a difference. With a carrier as queen. Normally, the kings kept the most beautiful women as their queens, to show off, the carriers however were the dirty, little secrets. Pets. No real humans. But his dad was different. He knew, because he was still there and so were Thess and Jack. Normally, someone who had bought a carrier for reproduction purposes sold every child that had the carrier-ability. That could be detected by healers at the age of around five. When Donny had turned five and the healers had confirmed that he too was a carrier, his mom had a panic-attack. Even though Percy loved Nico dearly, he knew how it normally went. But Nico never even thought about selling one of his children; even though royal born carriers were the most valuable ones. King Nico however loved his children, all of them and even though Donny resented the responsibility of one day ruling, he was still immensely proud that he, as a carrier, was the heir to the throne. Their kingdom, they would change things.

“What are you dreaming about, Donny?”, asked Thea with a small smile.

“Just... things”, shrugged Donny and turned to look out of the window.

Thea was his adviser, had been raised to be just that. And she was great at it. She was his moral compass, when he didn't know what to do, he knew he could rely on her and her knowledge.

“I'm looking forward to seeing Derek again”, whispered Phyl with a kind smile.

She especially had befriended Derek. While Thea couldn't really relate to the egocentric prince, Phyl had somehow managed to worm her way into his heart.

“We're not going there for fun”, chided Thea in that older-sister-voice of hers. “We're going to tell King Derek how sorry we are for his loss, on the behalf of all our kingdom.”

“I know”, sighed Phyl and averted his eyes. “But... can't I still look forward to seeing our friends?”

“Of course”, nodded Thea reluctantly. “Just... show the respect they deserve at times like this.”

“You know me better than that, Thea”, whispered Phyl with hurt eyes.

“I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I'm just... I'm nervous”, confessed Thea awkwardly.

It wasn't just Donny's first test, it was also hers. The adviser was the most important part of a royal's personal court. On a trip like this, Thea would have to show just how useful she could be for Donny.

“Don't worry. We'll all do fine, Thea”, smiled Donny kindly and grabbed her hand.

“As long as we don't leave Trend and Herc to one of their pissing contests”, joked Thea weakly.

The two strong fighters were known to bud heads. Always competing who the better swordsman was. Marshall however, he kept out of such things with a fond eye-roll. And Derek? He really enjoyed the show. He had never been able to resist the temptation of two hot guys fighting. Donny had to agree with Derek on that one. There was a certain appeal in this show of strength.

“Let's just hope our journey will be peaceful and that we will arrive soon”, sighed Donny and stared out of the window wistfully. “I wish we would already be there... I hate the wait.”

“I just hate traveling”, sighed Phyl and made a face. “Bandits and heat and weather. It's all so... dangerous and wild. I don't like dangers.”

“That's why the ladies took me with you”, called Herc from the driver's seat.

“Our strong hero”, laughed Thea loudly.

“Don't tease him, he _is_ supposed to protect us”, hissed Phyl and hit Thea's arm.

“Honey, as long as he wants to get laid, he damn well will protect us”, huffed Thea.

Phyl blushed brightly and that brusque statement. It wasn't a secret that Thea and Herc were together, but Phyl was still, how to put it sensitively? A prude. Donny grinned slightly. Well, he was an inexperienced virgin too, but he could take statements as those without blushing. Derek was to be blamed for that. The boy never shut up about his sexual conquests and Donny, honestly, knew more about the sexual act than he himself was comfortable with. Most of the times so because he didn't have a partner to experience them with. He wondered if he'd ever encounter his knight in shining armor who would sweep him off his feet and ride with him into the sunset? Oh, he was a hopeless romantic, he needed to get those notions out of his head. He was already past sixteen, if he didn't find a suitor soon, he would end up in some horrible arranged marriage. No dreams of knights in shining armor then. Though he was pretty optimistic that his dad would pick a good man for him. Or at least, he hoped that would be the case. His father was a pretty good judge of character. Unlike his mother, who always offered everyone a kind smile and his trust. It was why his father sometimes contemplated locking Percy into a tower or something. He had tried that a couple of times too, Donny and his siblings had a fun time watching mommy just climbing down the tower or sneaking out some other way. Nothing could hold Percy Jackson. Nothing aside from his love for his family and husband, that was. And that was exactly what Donny wanted too. Not to be held by some marriage contract, but by true love. If he would ever get that?

 

/break\

 

They had safely arrived and Donny and Derek had been hugging for about ten minutes now and Trend started to get bored. He, Herc and Marshall had carried the luggage to the guest rooms closest to Derek's chambers so the king's good friend and his court would stay nearby. Everything was unloaded, the horses had been taken to the stables, but Donny and Derek were still hugging.

“Would you _stop it now_?”, grunted Trend irritated, grabbing both of them by the necks. “Come.”

“I'm happy to see you too, Trend”, chuckled Donny and looked up at the adviser.

It was highly out of line for a commoner, even if he was a royal adviser and knight , to manhandle a crown prince like that. But they were friends, so Donny didn't mind. He knew it was just Trend.

“Annoying, little prince. Why did you decide to come over?”, interrogated Trend with a sigh.

“He always makes me feel so loved”, huffed Donny and rolled his eyes. “I... am here on behalf of my parents and our entire kingdom to give... King Derek our condolences.”

The light mood turned serious and Derek nodded stiffly. He was by now used to those. Trend let go of them so Derek could pull the smaller boy into another hug, this one more for comfort.

“Why don't we get Prince Donny settled now? It has been a long journey”, offered Trend softly.

“Yeah, I'd appreciate a nap”, sighed Donny, cracking his neck. “It was awfully uncomfortable.”

“I have matters to attend to anyway”, agreed Derek and made a face, kissing Donny's cheeks. “I'll see you in the morning. We will have a private breakfast. I want to hear everything.”

“So do I”, grinned Donny proudly and turned away from his friend.

The two of them could hardly be less alike, mused Trend thoughtful. Derek was a player, or used to be until Trend had somehow tamed him, while Donny was an innocent virgin. Derek could be downright vicious if he wanted to be, while Donny was the kindest soul Trend had ever met. Still, that was what made them work as friends. Sometimes, Derek could be too vicious, he wasn't good at watching out for other people's feelings and in those times, he needed Donny to stop him. On the other hand Donny was too soft at times and needed the courage and bravery that Derek provided. Trend liked how those two evened each other out. It was one of the reasons why King Matthew and King Nico had pushed the boys to become friends.

 

/break\

 

Derek yawned widely by the time he finished his duties for the day. Before returning to his own chambers, Derek checked in on the chambers right opposite of his. He wanted to see, maybe Donny was still awake, perhaps they could have a tiny, little conversation. Opening the door, he peeked into the bedroom. The giant bed was messy and in the middle of it laid a figure, curled together. Derek stepped up to the figure to see if he was still awake. He wasn't. Donny was snoring slightly as he laid folded as small as possible between his sheets.

“Stop being so adorable, it's getting ridiculous”, grunted Derek annoyed.

He straightened the sheets some since they had slipped down to Donny's hips. The prince hummed contently and snuggled up into the light linen. Before Derek could say another word, the door to the bedroom opened and Herc came stumbling in, sword raised. Derek was mildly impressed, cocking one eyebrow. He grinned when the bodyguard realized who had disturbed his sleep. Putting his sword away, the handsome blonde bowed respectfully.

“I'm sorry, King Derek. I thought an intruder...”, started Hercules to explain.

“You don't need to be sorry for performing your duty”, snorted Derek and rolled his eyes. “Go back to bed. I just wanted to check on Donny before I went to sleep.”

Herc nodded stiffly and turned back to his room. Royal chambers were all mapped the same. A giant bedroom in the middle, with two connecting doors. The bodyguard was always only one jump away from the one they were supposed to protect. The other door led to the private bathroom of the royal. The bodyguard's room had a door leading to the halls too and on either side of those two bedrooms was another smaller chamber. For the handmaiden and the adviser, to keep all important individuals of the royal party close by. Things were a little different with Derek's arrangement. The room connected to his chambers was empty, because he didn't like the notion of someone having access to his bedroom like that. After all, he had a Trend in his bed and he was surely a better fighter than most bodyguards he had met. And Marshall was still only one chamber over, so he didn't see a problem there. Yawning widely, Derek entered his own bedroom.

“You took long.”

Rolling his eyes, Derek closed the door behind him. Trend didn't even look up at him. The blonde was so comfortably laying on their bed, reading a book. Not the least bit worried that his lover and king was late to come to bed. It was what he loved about Trend, that the blonde didn't constantly throw a fuss like everyone else did. As though Derek was a little child who couldn't take two steps without supervision. Trend trusted him to be on his own too. Shedding his robes and just leaving them on the ground, Derek crawled into the bed to his blonde lover.

“Shut up and fulfill your duty as my pillow”, huffed Derek and snuggled up to Trend.

The blonde smiled amused, running his fingers through Derek's curls while he continued reading.

 

/break\

 

Donny was comfortably sitting on a large pillow at the table, right next to Derek. Trend was on Derek's other side, as always, one hand on his king's thigh. Phyl was talking to Sara in hushed voices, Derek's handmaiden holding hands with her lover, Derek's bodyguard Marshall. Herc and Thea were curled together too. Donny was happy for his adviser and bodyguard, don't get him wrong there, but he was also jealous because they were so happy and could be around each other all the time. Just like Sara and Marshall. And neither couple had to live up to any expectations. Sometimes Donny wished he were a commoner too. But then he remembered he was a carrier, so he found himself pretty damn glad to be born into the family he had.

“So... how's the family?”, asked Derek softly.

That always got Donny talking for hours. Oh, Jack was being so adorable and Silly is becoming even more beautiful and have I told you about that prank Jimmy pulled and Thess and Luke are such a cute couple and oh that new group Percy joined is so bothersome. It was adorable and made Derek wish he had siblings too. Well, his kids would have siblings. He wanted a big family. Maybe not di Angelo big, but still big. He loved children, even though that would probably destroy his reputation as a cold-hearted bitch. He wouldn't want that.

Their little group ate with the happy chatter of Prince Donny and only once they had finished their meal did Derek lead Donny outside. The gardens were beautiful. They had been the pet-project of the deceased king and queen. When the duties became too heavy, both enjoyed to tend to the gardens together. After Derek's birth, his dad had taught his son everything he knew about plants. These days, Derek enjoyed being in the gardens because they reminded him of his parents.

“How are you coping, Derek?”, asked Donny softly as they reached the roses.

“I miss my father. It's a lot of... pressure now. A lot of judgment”, sighed Derek, shrugging.

“Judgment?”, questioned Donny worried.

“Because of Trend”, whispered Derek with a slow-motion shrug. “He's not appropriate for someone like me. They want me to get either a 'fair queen' or at the very least a carrier.”

“Oh...”, nodded Donny upset, frowning.

“You still single?”, asked Derek with a teasing grin, judging Donny. “We'd make some cute babies.”

“It would be a powerful union”, snorted Donny and shook his head. “So what's the plan? Seriously.”

“Spring Dance already happened at our place”, was Derek's soft reply.

“Right. They must arrive at our kingdom in a few days time too...”, nodded Donny thoughtful. “So you saw anything... you liked? Does... that mean you and Trend break up...?”

“Have you seen his cock?”, snorted Derek ridiculed. “I'll never let that one go!”

Donny blushed furiously. The boys had been at the baths together before and Donny indeed had seen Trend's cock. He had never seen one bigger than that monster. He himself didn't see the appeal in that, the thought scared him. This thing should physically speaking tear him apart. No, Donny would be completely fine with a normally sized cock.

“But... I mean, Trend is the jealous type. Isn't that why you stopped sleeping around? And you think it will work if you have a carrier at the sidelines?”, questioned Donny concerned.

“The carrier would be ours. Trend's as well as mine”, answered Derek softly. “We'll share him. I want to keep Trend in my life, in my family. So I'll share my carrier with him.”

Donny nodded a little uncomfortably. After all, he himself was a carrier and sometimes, listening to the way others talked about 'regular' carriers, it freaked him out. Made him even more grateful for his dad. Still, he understood. It was the way their society worked. It was standard, expected even.

“That's going to be an easy one. Finding the perfect partner for both of you”, teased Donny. “You two, before you got together, basically just exchanged boyfriends all the time. You had him first, Trend took him later, Trend had him first, you took him later. You have quite the similar taste when it comes to... uhm... well, bottoms. So it shouldn't be hard for you to find the right one, right?”

“We already did, but he got away”, sighed Derek with a glare.

“What do you mean? How did he get away?”, asked Donny confused.

“Well, before I could, you know, tell the trader that I want that one reserved for me for after the dance, the trader had already left the kingdom”, sighed Derek with a pout.

“Oh... I'm sorry”, whispered Donny compassionately, nudging his friend. “Tell me about him. What did he look like? How did he manage to pull you in? You look really hooked.”

“Because he's perfect”, huffed Derek as though Donny had just insulted him. “He's utter perfection. He has that glistering, bronze skin and the muscles beneath that are drool-worthy. Those upper arms and the sixpack! God, he's delicious. He has hair, the shade of wet sand after the waves washed over the beach and his eyes, they're deeper and greener than any forest I ever encountered. And he's cocky. He kept glaring at me and the other royals. He got a backbone, not like those poor little things who got their will beaten out of them. He's fierce and strong and we want him. Really.”

“Sounds that way”, chuckled Donny amused.

He knew that Trend had a thing for the back-talking, stubborn ones. See Derek as proof of that. And Derek really loved his guy's muscular. Not that Donny had ever heard of a carrier who'd fit that description – well, his own mother, yes, but that was because his dad allowed his mom to train and work out. A slave who was still with a trader would never be allowed such a thing.

“It's really a shame that he's gone”, sighed Derek and kicked a stone out of his way. “He'd be perfect. And he would make such cute little babies, I tell you. Our children would be worthy heirs.”

“You really like him, huh?”, observed Donny tenderly. “That's cute.”

“I don't”, muttered Derek embarrassed and blushed. “I mean, I don't know him, his character. I just know that he's easily the prettiest thing I've ever seen and that I like that he didn't just grovel at my feet like a trained puppy. Trend compared him to a tiger, you know? A fierce, elegant, magnificent tiger, caught in a cage but far from tamed. It would be fun to tame the kitten.”

“A tiger is not a kitten”, warned Donny with a frown. “He may be pretty and all, but if he's really a tiger, then he also has claws. I doubt he'll be as much... fun as you expect him to be.”

“I can handle a good challenge!”, grunted Derek, looking highly insulted.

“Of course you do”, chuckled Donny teasingly.


	3. A Present Worthy of Royalty

_Chapter 3: A Present Worthy of Royalty_

 

Donny heaved a sigh, taking in the air of his home. He had only spend a few days with Derek, had officially invited him to visit their kingdom. Derek had promised to follow in a few. Truth was, normally Donny would have stayed longer. But after Derek spend so much time talking about that mysterious carrier, Donny had decided to return early, knowing that the Spring Dance ended in their kingdom. With any luck, he would be on time while they were still there. The traders always started their 'spring sale' in Itannwn. So even though Derek hadn't put up a biding on his preferred carrier, since up until now, they weren't for sale, Donny's chances of finding Derek's chosen one were high.

“Why are we going over the market?”, pouted Donny's younger brother.

Thess was beautiful and kind, but he preferred to stay inside the castle, so Donny made sure to drag Thess along quite as often as possible. Besides, if he was going to the slave-market, it was better to bring some back-up with him. After all, he was a carrier himself. So together with Thess also came Thess' bodyguard, Luke Chase (Thea's younger brother at that, so Donny really trusted him). With Luke and Herc, Donny was feeling a bit safer. Luke was a handsome blonde with startling blue eyes and those eyes were constantly only trained on Thess and his immediate surroundings. He took his job as Thess' bodyguard more than serious. After all, the prince he was protecting was also his lover.

“Because I want to buy a... present for Derek, for when he comes to visit”, replied Donny.

“You know what I think about these... things”, spat Thess with a glare.

Thess hated the slave-market with a passion. And he was right to do so, Donny mused.

“Whoever we buy here will have a better life with Derek than most others”, offered Donny. “I...”

He was interrupted by the sound of leather hitting a body. Right, the reason why Donny hated the slave-market. The traders who felt the perverse urge to punish disobedient slaves in public. He wanted to turn back in time for the scream, but it didn't happen. Against better judgment, he turned toward the sound of the hits. A young man, maybe a little older than Donny himself, was tied to a pole and being whipped by a large, mean-looking blonde man. But the brunette slave took his punishment without making a sound. Most begged for mercy or cried, but this one? Not a sound. Intrigued, Donny stepped closer and motioned for one of the bystanders.

“You, tell me what happened. What did this boy do?”, asked Donny with much authority.

“Nothing, he did nothing, your highness”, replied the young man. “The trader had been... having some fun with one of his carrier-slaves and this boy interrupted them, tried to protect the other slave. Needless to say, the trader doesn't like disobedience, sire.”

The bystander was pointing at a second slave, sitting huddled together close by, bound and forced to watch how the other boy got punished for trying to help him. It wretched Donny's guts. This business was utterly disgusting. Donny frowned as he looked at the carrier the bystander was pointing at. Really looked at him. If the bystander hadn't pointed out that this was a carrier, Donny would have mistaken him for a labor slave, just like the one receiving the whipping. Muscular, tall, tanned skin. Not the average carrier, but... he looked very much like the one Derek had described to Donny before. Still, if the boy was a carrier, then the labor slave had done the same thing Donny's guards would have done. Slave-traders weren't allowed to touch the carriers, because those had to be virgins when being sold, so by sleeping with a carrier he was still about to sell, he was screwing his customers over. It was illegal. So this punishment was uncalled for, because the labor slave had obeyed the law. And if there was one thing Donny couldn't stand, it was uncalled violence.

“You! Stop it!”, called Donny out and stepped up behind the slave-trader. “What's your name?”

The trader was probably angry that he got interrupted, because he suddenly whirled around, whip still up in the air in mid-strike. “Who do you think you are, interrupting me like that?!”

At the sudden movement, the whip changed target. Donny's head snapped to the side at the force of the strike. The crowd gasped, any chatter died down. The townsfolk knew their royal family, of course they knew who Donny was. And even on the down chances that this trader didn't know who exactly Donny was, the fine silver crown on his head with the sapphires and the royal robes with the sign of their family – a skull with a trident behind it – were a dead giveaway that Donny was a member of the royal family. The next sound to be heard was the clattering of the whip as it hit the floor, followed by the sound of the trader being pushed to the ground. Hercules was being assisted by the closest nearby guards. The commotion had drawn them in and witnessing how their prince got assaulted, well that got their attention. Donny turned his head back to the trader, wiping the blood that ran down from a small cut about an inch below his left eye off his cheek.

“How dare you hurt our cherished Prince Donny”, growled Herc, driving his knee deeper into the trader's back. “You know that's sentenced with death. Spilling royal blood.”

“No”, interrupted Donny. “You know what I think of the death sentence, Herc.”

The blonde bodyguard groaned annoyed. Yes, he knew that Donny was 'pro life', or whatever he called himself. Killing people was bad and all that jazz, but there were rules and there were punishments for breaking those rules. Herc glared up at his prince. Luke was standing protectively over Thess, having his charge pushed away from the scene to keep him safe.

“W—Whatever can I do to repay you for your generosity and kindness, my prince?”, asked the trader, head so low, his forehead was touching the ground. “Anything you want, your highness.”

Donny all the while had walked over to the bleeding slave tied to the pole. The boy must be in pain. His full focus was not on the commotion behind him, but still on the brunette carrier, who in return was staring at him. Were they lovers? Or brothers? Best friends, at the very least? Whatever it was, there was a strong bond between those two. Donny knelt down in front of the labor slave, tilting the boy's face up so the slave was forced to look at him instead of the other slave. His eyes were like melted nougat, so deep and beautiful and tender. There was a scar over his right eye and some others on his torso, but he was completely handsome. He stared at Donny confused.

“I want him”, declared Donny firmly, noting how both brunette slaves stiffened at that. “And the carrier you unlawfully touched. For which you _will_ receive the fitted punishment.”

“O—Of course, your highness”, pressed the trader out between gritted teeth.

“Tell me your name”, ordered Donny as he faced the trader again.

“Leroy, sire”, stated the trader stiffly.

“Very well”, nodded Donny. “Guards, half of you will take Leroy to the dungeons, the other half will accompany his slaves to the castle. I want you to bring the... labor slave to my room. Get the carrier bathed and into one of the guest rooms, he will be a present for King Derek once he arrives. All other slaves will be brought to my father, legal matters are matters of the king, I suppose.”

“Yes, my prince”, chorused the guards.

They started opening cages and escorting slaves out. A trader like Leroy who defiled the carriers they sold was not allowed to sell slaves anymore, depending on how harsh the local king was, they ended up in the dungeons for a long time. It would be up to King Nico to decide what would happen to the slaves – normally, they either went into the court's possession, or they would be divided onto the other slave traders. Knowing his dad, Nico was probably going to set the slaves free.

 

/break\

 

“My poor, little baby”, cooed Percy as he fussed over Donny. “Look at this, Nico! I said look at this. This man hurt our son. I want him locked away till kingdom comes, Nico. You hear me?”

“Yes, love. I heard you the first half-dozen times you said it”, nodded Nico amused. “Now, Donny. Let's talk about what you were doing there to begin with. You know exactly what I think about you and your siblings going to the slave-market. What were you doing there?”

“Derek, he found a carrier that he _really_ liked, but then the Spring Dance moved on from his kingdom. He talked about this boy so much, I thought... after he lost his father, so many are now pushing him about an heir and I just thought, if I found that carrier, then he may have... I don't know. Something nice. Someone he truly cares about”, replied Donny in guilt.

“And did you find him?”, asked Percy curiously, finally letting go of his son.

“Yes”, nodded Donny with a small smile. “I think Derek is seriously in love with this guy. And when I came there, another slave was being whipped, seemingly to protect the one Derek had chosen from the trader. It seems this trader, Leroy, he... molested or raped, I don't know the details, he at the very least did things to this carrier that he had no right to do. So the other slave, he just did what was right. He tried to stop it from happening. He did the right thing, he didn't deserve to be whipped for that! So I stepped in and that's when the trader hit me with the whip, but it's really alright. Just barely a scratch. I... uhm... I don't want the trader to die, please. You know how I think about these things. And... uhm, he offered me something to make up for the scratch. I... chose.”

“Whatever did you choose?”, questioned Nico interested, cocking one eyebrow.

“The slave he whipped and the carrier because of which the other got whipped”, replied Donny. “The carrier is for Derek. Derek will come here in a few days, after all. I thought, uhm, well, it would be a nice coronation present. And... I... I want to keep the labor slave, please.”

“Why?”, asked Nico and Percy at once, both confused.

“I think he's special. He's protective and kind and he has morals that are more important to him than his own well-being”, answered Donny softly. “He could work for the palace somewhere, right? N—Not as a slave, of course. I just... don't want him to have to go away, you know?”

Percy smiled a little. Donny was against slavery, so it had surprised him that his son would want to keep a slave. Of course Donny wouldn't. He just wanted for this special slave to be kept in their palace. That could be arranged. Percy looked at Nico, who nodded in agreement.

“That's fine”, stated Nico softly. “And all the other slaves, I'll... think of something.”

“Bring your new... friend to the infirmary first though. If he had been whipped, he needs medical care. The wounds need to be cleaned, or else they'll get infected”, added Percy concerned.

He was cautious not to call the slave a slave. And he had a feeling that in the shortest time, this now former slave would be friends with Donny. Out of gratitude for freeing him, or simply because Donny was utterly irresistible. It was why Percy was so sure that Donny would be a good queen, because the whole kingdom adored the cute and kind prince.

“No! I'll take care of it!”, rushed Donny out hastily. “He's mine now. He's my responsibility.”

“Okay”, nodded Nico surprised.

“And the carrier?”, asked Percy worried.

“I told the guards to bring him to one of the guest rooms. They're probably still with him, guarding the room, or something”, shrugged Donny with a frown. “I'll take care of the injured one first and then I'll check on the carrier, see how he's... feeling. If he's hurt or anything.”

“That's a good plan, bambino”, nodded Nico seriously. “Now if you'd excuse us, we have a lot of work, thanks to you and your little rescue-mission.”

Donny nodded with a brilliant smile and turned to leave. Of course, as soon as he left the throne-room, he was being attacked. His youngest sibling jumped him in a hug. Grinning a little, Donny hoisted Jack up in his arms, holding him tightly. Donny saw his other younger siblings scattering hastily. They knew better than to spy on their parents. Jack was different though, he was five and hyperactive. And Donny had only seen Thess earlier when he had arrived at the palace.

“I missed you, big brother!”, exclaimed Jack, snuggling up to Donny.

Donny smiled, rubbing his nose against Jack's. “I missed you too, baby brother.”

“Where are we going, Donny?”, asked Jack curiously.

“Visiting a new friend”, grinned Donny.

 

/flashback\

 

_Jack was mortified as he stared at the man with the sword. It was a large, mean-looking sword and the man had it lifted high. Two little boys were laying in front of him, all stretched out and the man was arming for the children's hands. The boys were maybe two years older than Jack._

“ _No, no, no! You can't!”, exclaimed Jack and broke loose from his mother's hand._

_A horrified scream escaped Percy's throat as he watched his son throwing himself on top of the two children, trying to shield them from the man with the sword. Nico had one arm around Percy's waist, both of the running as fast as they could. Thankfully, the man was too startled to continue._

“ _What in the world?”, grunted the man confused, putting his sword down as he saw his king and queen approaching him, then he bowed. “King Nico, Queen Perseus. What can I do for you?”_

“ _Not kill our son. Thank you very much”, grunted Percy and picked Jack up. “What was that?!”_

“ _I'm sorry, mommy”, mumbled Jack upset._

“ _You know you're not supposed to run off. And especially so not to do something so dangerous”, chided Nico with a fierce glare. “Tell us what you were thinking, bambino.”_

“ _He wanted to hurt 'em, mommy always says hurting kids is bad!”, exclaimed Jack upset._

“ _What... was going on here?”, sighed Percy and turned to the salesman._

_Fruits, by the looks of it. The man looked grumpy, glaring down at the two children._

“ _Kept stealing from me. Third time this week! I finally caught them. It's my right to cut off a thief's hand, you know that, my queen”, grunted the man disgruntled._

_Percy frowned, now upset himself. The man was right, of course. That didn't change that it didn't sit right with Percy to watch two little children losing their hands! He knelt down, balancing Jack on his knee as he looked down at the two other children. Identical twins, by the look of it._

“ _Why did you two steal from the man?”, asked Percy softly._

“ _We were hungry!”, exclaimed one of them as they both sat up._

_The one who had talked pushed the other one behind himself, protecting him. Percy smiled a little at the children, pushing a strand of hair out of the protective boy's face._

“ _And what about your parents, darling?”, asked Percy, his voice even softer now._

“ _Don't know dad and mommy died”, whispered the one hiding behind his brother._

“ _So you're from the orphanage?”, questioned Percy concerned._

“ _Ran away”, continued the hiding one, shaking his head. “There were bad people who hurt us. Hun doesn't like when someone hurts me. But then we got hungry, so we took the apples...”_

“ _Apples? This is about apples?”, asked Percy and looked up at the salesman._

“ _Stealing is stealing”, growled the salesman annoyed. “May I now continue, my queen?”_

“ _No”, stated Percy and stood, silencing his husband and the salesman before either of them could chide him for breaking the law. “I'm sure this will make up for your loss and be of far more use than the boys' hands, good man.”_

_The man stared as he was handed a bag of gold. “M—My queen?”_

“ _Take it and forget about the children, or take your revenge”, stated Percy._

_The man took the gold, of course. Nico heaved a sigh. This won't end well for him._

“ _Why did yo do that, mister?”, asked the shy one softly, worried._

“ _You two will come home with us. You'll get plenty of food at the palace, without having to steal”, murmured Percy softly. “You'll be safe there. Do you know what a king and a queen is.”_

“ _Uhu”, nodded the shy one. “Mommy said they're nice people who wanna make everything better for poors like us. Mommy liked the queen lots.”_

“ _I'm Queen Percy”, smiled Percy amused. “And the man here is my husband, King Nico. Now, come with us. I promise no one will hurt you there. And no one will return you to the orphanage.”_

“ _Promise?”, asked the shy one, pushing forward a little._

“ _Promise”, smiled Percy and hooked fingers with the boy. “Will you tell me your names?”_

“ _I'm Hayden Hood. Hunter is my brother”, whispered the shy little boy._

“ _Okay. Hunter, Hayden, come with me. We have a lot of food waiting for you”, offered Percy and put Jack down before turning to his husband. “Send someone to that orphanage. I want that investigated. No one hurts children, not on my watch.”_

“ _Yes, my queen”, nodded Nico amused and kissed his husband._

 

/half-a-year-later\

 

_Percy stood at the balcony staring outside with a smile. His youngest, Jack, was playing with Matt Chase and the Hood-twins. Jack was basically inseparable from the twins. Percy's smile slid off his face as he watched one of the other kitchen-boys – they had brought the twins into the kitchen after taking them in – assault Jack. The prince fell and started crying. Many kids picked on Jack for being a royal carrier, just like they had done with Thess and Donny. Jealousy. Even children knew that carriers were 'supposed' to be slaves. But here he was, a supposedly slave free and of higher status than them. Percy glared and turned to leave for downstairs, just to watch Hunter pinning the kid on the ground and Hayden and Matt helping Jack up, Hayden checking the prince for injuries. Percy frowned thoughtful and left the balcony._

“ _Nico, love. I think I have an idea”, stated Percy as he joined Nico in the bed._

“ _Yes, precious?”, asked Nico softly and laid one arm around Percy's waist._

“ _Jack's five now. He needs his own court...”, started Percy slowly._

“ _We already decided that Matthew Chase will become his adviser”, nodded Nico._

“ _I want the Hoods to join the knights' training. I want them to become Jack's protectors. They are already fiercely protective of Jack, grateful that Jack brought them into this better life. And Jack trusts them blindly. It's a perfect fit”, continued Percy with a small smile. “Yes, love?”_

_Nico heaved a sigh and nodded. How was he ever supposed to say no to his queen?_

 

/half-a-year-later|back-to-now\

 

“What friend?”, asked Jack curiously as he was carried through the halls.

“I... met him on the market today”, whispered Donny softly.

“How? When? Why?”, asked Jack, perking up some.

“He... was being punished, even though he didn't do something bad, so I took him home with me”, explained Donny, caressing Jack's hair. “He was hurt, so I wanted to take care of him.”

“So... he's your Hood?”, questioned Jack thoughtful.

“Mh?”, grunted Donny confused. “What do you mean?”

“I found my Hoods on the market too and they were punished too even though they didn't do bad and then I took them home and now they're my Hoods”, replied Jack simply.

Donny frowned thoughtful. There was a big difference between his handsome, brunette slave and the two orphaned boys and the story of how they got here, but put like that, Jack was right.

“I guess you're right”, nodded Donny amused. “He's my Hood, yes.”

“So he will protect you too?”, asked Jack curiously, tilting his head.

“I don't know”, shrugged Donny with a frown.

“But if he's a Hood, he has to protect you! It's what Hoods do! My Hoods protect me, so if he's your Hood, he has to protect you too!”, declared Jack confused.

Donny laughed softly. He had a feeling that once they grew up, Nico and Percy would have to put up with at least one Hood courting Jack. The way they behaved reminded Donny a lot of Luke and Thess when they had been children and those two had grown up to become lovers.

“Of course, tesorino”, laughed Donny and kissed Jack's head. “Now go and play with your Hoods. Mine is hurt and I have to take care of him now.”

“Can't I help?”, offered Jack wide-eyed.

Donny scrunched his face up in thought for a moment. “You remember how scared Hayden was when you first brought him here and how angry Hunter was?”

“Uhu. They didn't wanna be separated or hurt”, nodded Jack upset.

“See, my... Hood is still new, so he may be scared or angry too. I don't want to have too many people around him until he's settle, just like your Hoods”, explained Donny softly.

“Oh. Okay”, nodded Jack obediently, hugging Donny tightly. “But I wanna meet your Hood when he's fine, okay? Maybe he can play with me and my Hoods!”

Donny nodded amused, kissing Jack's forehead and watching how the child ran off. He didn't even know the name of his new slave, his new property. No, he really liked the sound of 'his Hood' more, even though it wasn't... proper. After all, Hood was the last name of Jack's bodyguards. But it was easier for Jack to refer to them as 'Hoods', instead of 'Hayden and Hunter' all the time. Donny wondered what the name of his new... uhm, slave was. He didn't like referring to the boy as slave. He didn't like slavery. Even though legally speaking, the boy was now his property.

“Hello there”, whispered Donny softly as he entered his chambers.

His gorgeous slave was sitting on the ground in front of the bed, looking in pain and also worried. He was covered in sweat, most likely from the pain. Donny frowned concerned.

“Lay down on the bed. On your stomach”, said Donny worried.

The slave looked scandalized at that. Well, a labor slave in the bed of a royal, it was probably a scandal. Not that Donny cared. He wasn't going to take care of the boy's wounds on the ground.

“I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to take care of your injuries. For that, you need to lie down. So I can clean them up, disinfect them”, continued Donny softly.

He turned toward the water bowl that a servant must have prepared for him, together with a stash of fresh, white towels and a bottle of expensive alcohol. Disinfect.

“Are you alright? I mean, of course you're not alright, but does it hurt anywhere else aside from your back? Like, your head or your ribs?”, asked Donny concerned.

The slave shook his head. Donny frowned and looked the other boy up and down. A year older than Donny, at max. Scars on his torso. From fights? Or previous punishments? And one scar on his eyebrow that was uncomfortably close to the boy's eye. Those eyes. They were like those of a puppy. Nougat-brown and faithful and loyal. They looked like he was loyal and good, just like Jack's Hoods. Heh, perhaps he was a Hood after all.

“Sh, relax. I'll just take care of your injuries. I promise. I'm not going to hurt you”, promised Donny tenderly as he tipped a towel in the semi-hot water. “It'll sting, but I have to to clean them.”

He tried caution. After all, that trader Leroy who had owned this boy and his friend previously had sexually assaulted the carrier. Who knew if the guy also took a liking to his other slaves. So being asked into the bed of a stranger, well, Donny didn't want to trigger anything.

“It was very brave of you to protect him”, whispered Donny with a smile as the other laid down on the bed. “Is he... a special someone to you? Is he your lover?”

The other boy stiffened and stared at him wide-eyed. Probably fearful, after all relationships with carriers were pretty much against the law. At least while the carrier in question was still to be sold.

“Don't worry, you wouldn't get in trouble, even if it is true”, promised Donny. “So is he?”

The boy shook his head and something in his eyes told Donny it was the truth.

“Is he... your brother, then?”, continued Donny curiously. “Because you really took one hell of a beating for him there and you don't do that for a stranger, mh?”

The boy shook his head again, but this time slower. Not brother, but brother-status. Best friend.


	4. Nothing Royal About Slavery

_Chapter 4: Nothing Royal About Slavery_

 

Sander was blushing as he had his arms crossed under his head. He knew that this was wrong on so many levels. A prince – the crown-prince at that – shouldn't personally tend to a slave's injuries. Then again, he had never seen _anyone_ fight for a slave like Prince Hades Poseidon di Angelo had done for Sander. And to top it all of, the prince had saved Sander and Sam from the slave-trader.

“Why are you doing this?”, mumbled Sander, unsure if he was allowed to speak.

Donny froze where he was sitting next to his new property. It was the first time the other boy had spoken since they had left the slave-market. Taking a deep breath, Donny dipped the blood-soaked cloth in the bowl of water again to clean it some before continuing to tenderly take care of his slave's injuries, cautious not to inflict any unnecessary pain on the brunette.

“Why not?”, countered Donny confused. “You're in pain. The injuries are on your back, you're hardly qualified to take care of them yourself and since I... own you now, I think I should do it.”

“But don't you have healers for that?”, questioned Sander.

“Would you be more comfortable if a professional healer would do it?”, asked Donny concerned.

“No!”, exclaimed Sander and shook his head, blushing. “You're tender. Never met a tender healer.”

Donny grinned at that. “That's why I want to do it myself.”

“But... Why...?”, continued Sander, still confused. “I mean, I'm a slave, you're a prince, that's...”

“Below me?”, snorted Donny and cocked one eyebrow. “My mother, the queen, he used to be a simple slave too, you know? Father bought him to guarantee a strong bloodline, but then my father fell in love with my mother and married him, made him his queen.”

“A former slave as the queen...?”, asked Sander stunned.

“Yeah”, laughed Donny softly. “It wasn't the most welcomed thing back then, but father loved him too much to let anyone take that away from them. I don't... I don't think that a slave is a thing to be owned. Yes, you're my possession now, but... you're a human being. My mother was a slave, I have more respect for slaves than others. I'm... genuinely upset that this man hurt you and your friend, so I want to make sure you're alright, because you're no lesser than me, or my friends or siblings. And if someone had hurt one of my siblings or friends like that, I would want to help them personally too. So I guess you'll just have to accept that I care.”

Sander nodded stiffly. The queen was a former slave? In what weird kingdom had he ended up in? Maybe things would be different here. They certainly would be with his sweet and cute owner.

“Thank you, master”, whispered Sander with a small smile.

“You can call me Donny, please”, ordered/pleaded Donny with the brightest blush.

“But that's _way_ too informal! Whatever your country's deal is, I'm still a slave”, protested Sander with a frown. “What if someone catches me doing something like that?”

Donny had a frown of his own set on his face, tilting Sander's head enough to look into those trustworthy, nougat-brown eyes. “ _No one_ is going to hurt you again. You're mine and I'll never let anyone touch you. The only higher authority than me are my parents and since my mother was a slave himself, neither of them would ever let a slave be whipped or flocked. Besides, you have my allowance, so  _please_ call me Donny. It would make me uncomfortable if you'd call me master. But... is there any name I can call you? You haven't told me your name yet.”

“Oh...”, mumbled Sander, his ears a little red. “My name is Chrysander, but... people call me Sander normally. But I guess you can call me whatever you want to call me since I'm yours.”

Donny's face lit up in another blush at that. Oh, he'd wish for that to be true. All those strong muscles that he could feel and see on the back he was currently cleaning up, the bulked biceps, that sun-kissed and scarred skin, the trustworthy dark eyes. Yes, Donny was inclined to fight for the rights of slaves because of his mother, but he had taken this one in out of entirely different reasons. The boy – Sander, that sounded so cute – was amazing. Especially judging by his big heart and loyalty, after all when Donny had first met him, Sander had been punished for protecting his friend. This was the kind of loyalty and kindness that Donny wanted around himself.

“Sander”, said Donny softly, grinning to himself. “I like it. It sounds nice.”

“Thank you”, whispered Sander a bit embarrassed.

After all, how often do you get a prince to tell you that your name was nice? But this prince seemed to be something else entirely. And Sander appreciated that quite a lot. It was amazing that his new master was such a sweet and adorable guy. And he also looked so very pretty.

“What about your friend?”, asked Donny after a moment. “What's his name?”

“Sam”, replied Sander softly. “But don't expect to get a lot from him, mast... uhm... my prince.”

“Works too”, grinned Donny amused. “And don't worry, I'm pretty convincing.”

“And Sam's pretty stubborn”, countered Sander, raising one eyebrow.

 

/break\

 

Sander's words were not a little bit discouraging for Donny though. Donny was a sweet guy and so far, he had never encountered anyone who had failed to fall for his charm and cute face. Still, when he reached the chambers reserved for Prince Derek, he grew a little nervous.

“Hello, Sam”, greeted Donny softly as he entered.

“Fuck you”, was thrown back at him.

Donny blinked a couple of times. Okay, not the polite type then. Donny gulped and approached the slave. Sam was cleaned up and wrapped in some white, plain robes. He was quite gorgeous, all bronze-skinned, muscular and with those fierce green eyes. Not exactly a typical carrier, but Donny understood why Derek wanted him. Derek had always liked a challenge.

“My name is Donny. I'm the one who... bought you”, said Donny, keeping his voice soft and low.

“And now you came to have your fun?”, snarled Sam, his eyes dark and dangerous.

“I didn't buy you for myself”, clarified Donny. “You're... a present, for a friend.”

“Makes a hell of a different”, snorted the slave and rolled his eyes.

“Look, I took you in to help you, to get you away from that horrible man...”, started Donny.

He wanted to get through to Sam, to connect to the slave. Turned out Sander was right, Sam was more stubborn than Donny was persuasive. The brunette glared viciously at him.

“The good deed of your day?”, hissed Sam. “Makes you feel good about yourself, yeah?”

“No. I just wanted to help!”, exclaimed Donny, starting to grow frustrated.

“Big help you are, taking me from one guy raping me to give me to the next guy raping me!”

Donny actually took a jump back at the loud shout and stared at the slave. “No. That's not true, Sam. Derek is a great guy, he's my friend. He'd never do something like that.”

“Then why in the world would you give a carrier to _anyone_ if not for breeding? For sex? For pleasure? That's our only purpose in your eyes, after all. If you give that 'nice, great friend' of yours a carrier, what exactly do you expect him to do with me, mh?”, snorted Sam.

Donny frowned and averted his eyes. “I... I just wanted to help you...”

“Next time, just don't”, spat Sam and turned away.

 

/break\

 

The royal chambers were bathed in a soft, pink glow as the sun was setting, the kingdom's queen sitting on the large bed and reading a letter. Though as the doors opened, Percy looked up from it. Who entered was quite the surprise. His oldest son Donny, but he looked upset and confused.

“Baby boy, what's wrong?”, asked Percy in a soft voice, putting the letter away. “Come here.”

“Mamma, I think I did something... wrong”, stated Donny with a frown.

Percy opened his arms widely to welcome his son in a hug. Donny eagerly obeyed, snuggling up to the safety of his mother's arms, staring thoughtful at the round midsection of his mother where his youngest sibling was still waiting to join them in this world.

“What happened, bambino?”, asked Percy in a caring voice.

“The two slaves I took in on the market... I really like Sander, the one I want to keep here”, whispered Donny. “And then I talked to the other one, the carrier...”

“The one you want to give to Derek?”, asked Percy and nodded. “What about him?”

“He was... angry. Furious. I told him I wanted to help him, but he screamed at me that I just took him from... from one rapist to bring him to the next...”, whispered Donny hoarsely. “And he's right.”

“Do you really think Prince Derek is a rapist?”, questioned Percy curiously.

“No, but... in the end, that's what it comes down to, isn't it?”, murmured Donny, turning those large, sea-green eyes on his mother. “In the end, Sam and Derek are going to have sex and Sam is not going to want it. In the end, Sam is right. I didn't change a thing.”

“You did, Donny”, assured Percy firmly, forcing Donny to look at him. “I saw the state this boy... Sander was in when you brought him here. That slave-trader was not holding back any. Do you think he treated Sam differently? He's a brutal and cruel man. Derek isn't. Even if it's not Sam's choice to make, Derek would never treat him like that, unlike the trader. You changed it, you made it better, even if Sam may not see that now.”

Donny remained silent, an awkward question pushing itself into the forefront of his mind and even as he tried, he couldn't get it out of his head. “How could you fall in love with father?”

“What?”, asked Percy surprised and blinked a couple of times.

“He only made you his queen later, only after Bianca's birth. So... Why did you fall in love with a man who forced you to have sex with him and have his children?”, whispered Donny worried.

Percy was frozen up, trying to find a proper answer to that. “Your father always treated me like a possession, which I was, but... he wasn't cruel about it. He just didn't like when others touched what was his. He was always tender and careful, took his time. Things he didn't have to. Things I appreciated, but they didn't make me fall in love with him. I hated your father for the first year that I spend here, for all the things he made me do, for making me pregnant, for owning me. But then I first encountered another king with his own carrier. The other king treated his carrier like a dog, pulled him along on a leash, made him eat on the floor, sit at his feet at all times. Kicked him when the carrier wasn't fast enough – even though the carrier was pregnant. But your father never treated me unworthy, he always treated me like an equal, let me sit next to him during the meals, clothed me in rich fabrics, let me roam the palace freely, without as much as a guard to keep track of me. And he had never, not once, hit, kicked or beaten me. It made me realize that... it was more than just something to appreciate. I started thinking about your father, the way he interacted with others and with me and I realized that when he scolded me for talking or touching others, it was less because he disliked that his property was tainted but more because he was jealous, because he feared that if I had too much contact with others, I may develop serious feelings for someone else. I confronted him about it and he told me that he wouldn't be able to hold me if I were in love with someone else, that he would... that he would set me free if that was the case, so he tried to keep me all to himself. I told him that if he wanted to make sure, he should try and make me fall in love with him then. He was as surprised about my suggestion as I was. But then he started honestly courting me and I just... I fell in love with him. Not just because of the courting, but because he treated me like a real, equal _person_ and not a low _possession_. Because he respected me and cared for me.”

Donny listened in awe as he heard the story for the first time. It had always been a bit of a taboo between the teenaged children, not asking their mother about his time as a slave. But right now, that had been exactly what Donny had needed to get some hope back.

 

/break\

 

Derek moaned and cracked his neck. He absolutely hated long journeys. Everything ached after days in the stupid carriage. Oh was he glad that they reached Itannwn's capital. Finally.

“King Derek. It's a pleasure to welcome you to our kingdom”, stated King Nico.

Derek smiled slightly. He liked King Nico, like a favorite uncle of sorts. He walked up to the other king and found himself pulled into a tight hug. While Marshall and Trend unloaded the carriage, Derek took a look around. Queen Perseus was _round_. Ready to pop any second. With a little bad luck Derek would be present to welcome yet another di Angelo to the world. Even though there were already enough di Angelos around. All nicely lined up behind king and queen.

“It's always a pleasure to be here”, smiled Derek slightly.

“Oh, I missed you”, grinned Donny and pulled Derek into a hug.

“We have seen each other a week ago”, pointed Derek out and rolled his eyes.

“Doesn't change that I missed you”, huffed Donny.

“We have a coronation present waiting for you in your usual chambers”, stated Percy softly. “I'm sure you will appreciate it. Donny picked it out for you. Now go and get settled. I expect you to join our family for dinner tonight. You and your friends, of course. It's nice to have all of you here.”

“But... Derek”, whispered Donny and pulled Derek aside. “The... one you wanted, I found him, his name is Sam, but the trader who owned him... abused him... sexually...”

Sara was already off chatting with Thea and Phyl. Herc all the while was stuck helping Marshall and Trend with the luggage. Derek frowned confused as he made his way to his room. He was curious what kind of present the royal family had gotten for him. It couldn't possibly be the carrier.

 

/break\

 

Derek marveled at the beauty in front of him. When Queen Percy had said there would be a present waiting for him in his usual room, he had not expected a carrier. Much less the one he had fallen for during the Spring Dance. The peanut-colored hair was neatly put into many tiny braids, a light red dust put onto the boy's cheeks to make him look more submissive and the rosy-colored silken robes wrapped around his waist, leaving his upper body and long legs bare, were underlining that too. As were the golden shackles on his wrists and ankles and the golden collar around his neck. But nothing could dim the effect of those fierce, forest-green eyes that glared at Derek so heatedly. Which was what Derek had truly fallen for; the disobedience. Normally, a carrier wouldn't even dare to look into the eyes of a man, much less into the eyes of a nobleman. But this one, he wasn't just beautiful and tempting, he also had spirit and determination.

“Donny really knows what I like”, grinned Derek pleased.

“Fuck you”, growled the carrier back and threw a pillow square into the king's face.

Or at least he tried to. Trend was trained enough to react within split seconds, so he managed to catch the pillow mid-air. Derek laughed softly, but Trend didn't appreciate the attitude. Or the attack. Even though a pillow wasn't exactly a weapon, letting such a thing slip would only lead to more serious attacks. And if there was one thing Trend did not allow, it were attacks on his king.

“You should know better than to talk back like that”, stated Trend sternly. “Or attack royalty.”

The pretty carrier flinched and scooted away from them. Like a beaten dog, expecting his next punishment. Derek frowned and walked closer. He knew Trend's fingers itched to spank the pretty one for his disobedience. Derek wouldn't let that happen, not until he knew what the boy's deal was. He didn't want the pretty one to be uncomfortable. The boy scrambled more away from him.

“Hello”, started Derek softly as he sat down on his bed. “My name is Derek, I'm the king of the Fólannian Islands. That's my adviser Trend. My good friend Donny gave you to me as a present.”

“The ridiculous one, yeah, I remember him”, snarled the carrier, not very impressed.

“He's a future king. Did no one ever teach you respect?”, questioned Trend, cocking one eyebrow.

“He was the one talking shit, so why would he have earned my respect? Acting all grand and wonderful for saving me. The fuck he did. Taking me from one rapist to the next”, snarled the boy.

Derek's frown took a concerned turn. Donny had warned him that the boy was troubled. That at least explained those comments. Most royals were picky, would never take 'used goods'. Derek didn't care. He had a sexual history too, after all. And judging by what Donny had told him, it was hardly Sam's fault. Sam. That was the slave's name, or so Donny had told him.

“I'm not going to rape you, Sam”, stated Derek, keeping his voice even and soft.

“Right”, snorted Sam, not quite convinced. “Why would you want a carrier if you're not going to use him, mh? Don't treat me like I'm an idiot, because I'm not.”

Derek smirked, a little amused by the way his carrier lashed out. “Using, mh? Well, if by that you mean that I'll have you carrying my children, then yes, that will happen. But I am not going to force myself onto you. Never. I promise you that, even if you may not believe me right now.”

“Of course I'm not believing this crap”, snarled Sam viciously. “How the fuck are you going to use me if you're not going to 'force yourself on me'?!”

“By making you fall for me, cutie”, replied Derek nonchalantly, tilting Sam's head over to look at him. “I don't need to force someone to have sex with me and I am not going to start doing that with you now. I trust my charm. And regardless of how long it'll take me, I _will_ make you want to have sex with me, I'll have you begging me and only then will I sleep with you.”

“Fat chance”, snorted Sam ridiculed, but he still blushed a little.

“Well, then you don't have anything to fear”, smiled Derek brightly.

Sam frowned, still not believing a word Derek was saying. Derek heaved a sigh and got comfortable. This was going to take a while longer, he guessed. Trend glared and started unpacking, watching the other two boys with one eye. He didn't trust that situation just yet. Derek did something to sooth the slave by taking the golden shackles off. Sam looked uncomfortable and confused by this, rubbing his wrists. And then he stood, unsure what to do.

“W—Where... do I go?”, asked Sam softly, not as harsh anymore.

Forest-green eyes darted between the bed and the floor. Both Trend and Derek noticed that. Carriers usually slept either in their owner's beds or, if the owner already had a partner they were involved with, they would sleep on the floor in front of the bed. Like a dog, or pet of sorts. Derek didn't approve. He tilted his head, noting the open door to the bedroom supposed to be Marshall's.

“I won't force you to have sex with me and I won't force you to sleep in the same bed as I do. But you surely are not sleeping on the floor either, that's inhuman”, huffed Derek and stood, leading Sam to the other bedroom. “This is yours. You'll stay here. But out of obvious reasons, the door will stay open. I do want to keep an eye on you since you're not exactly obedient or trusting.”

“An... own bed? And a whole room?”, asked Sam stunned and confused.

“I don't think my chances of wooing you are very high if I have you sleeping on the floor”, chuckled Derek very amused. “This will be yours, for the duration of our stay here. Once we return to my own castle, you will get a more pristine room, of course.”

Sam frowned and entered, slowly. “So... what... uhm... What do you expect of me then?”

“Mh?”, grunted Derek confused, looking his gorgeous new property up and down.

“You say... You say you won't have sex with me if I don't want to and you're not making me sleep in your bed. So what am I supposed to do all day?”, asked Sam, arching one eyebrow.

“For now, you'll stay close to me”, stated Derek softly. “I want to trust you, but as of now, I'd get that trust thrown into my face, wouldn't I? So until I know I can be sure that you won't take the first opportunity to run, you will stay either with me or Trend at all times. You won't have to be attached to us by the hip, but you'll have to be in sight. Other than that, you're free to do whatever you want. Swim, walk around, talk to whoever you want. If there is somewhere you want to go, just inform me, and Trend or I will accompany you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir”, nodded Sam obediently.

Derek cocked one eyebrow. So the boy had gotten some rules beaten into his head after all.

“Rest some. Donny told me you've been through a lot”, whispered Derek, running his fingers through Sam's soft hair. “Do you like the clothes?”

“Fuck no”, huffed Sam with a glare. “They're girly and slutty and I'm neither of those.”

“Very well”, nodded Derek and turned to Trend to whisper. “Talk to Phylicia, she needs to get him different clothes. Something in the colors of my kingdom. And while you're at it, inform Donny that we're going to the market soon. I want to buy a beautiful collar for our beautiful boy here.”

“Yes, my king”, sighed Trend amused, leaning in for a kiss. “Anything else, love?”

“Food. The queen only said something about dinner, but it's barely past lunch. Get us something nice. Sweetheart? What would you like to eat?”, asked Derek, this time louder, and turned to Sam.

Sam was a little lost, tilting his head. “D—Do you mean me... sir?”

“Yes”, nodded Derek amused, his dark eyes sparkling. “Now, answer? What do you want?”

“I—I don't care”, shrugged Sam and sat down on his bed, arms crossed.

“Oh come on, there has to be some favorite food you have, sweetheart”, pressed Derek.

Sam just shrugged, head tilted so his hair would fall into his face. Why was this man acting so nice? To trick him into trusting? In the end, this guy would just take what he wanted anyway, just like the trader had. Even if the pretty king claimed to wait until Sam was ready, Sam _knew_ he would never want to have sex again in his entire life. It was horrible, humiliating and most of all painful. He didn't want to undergo this horrifying experience ever again. And once the king realized that, he would do just the same as the trader. Take what he wanted. So Sam really didn't want to get his hopes up, even though the blonde was very handsome and the king was very pretty. Sam had learned that looks meant nothing. Beautiful people were often even more capable of cruelty and wickedness than those not as blessed by god. Or the gods, depending on where one was from.

“Very well”, sighed Derek disappointed and turned to Trend. “Bring something from everything. We'll find whatever it is our little sweetheart there wants, even if he doesn't want to tell.”

“As you wish, my king”, nodded Trend, treading his fingers through Derek's hair.

Derek rolled his eyes. He knew that Trend was lingering around because he didn't want to leave Derek with a potentially dangerous and violent stranger. Derek pushed him a little, signaling that it was okay. Derek  _wanted_ to trust the pretty carrier. And even though he didn't know Sam, he had a gut-feeling and that one was good. He knew deep down that Sam wouldn't hurt him, just like he knew that Trend would never hurt him. The blonde left, even though he was still reluctant. Derek hummed softly to himself as he shed his official robes. To be welcomed, he had to put on a fancy facade, just like King Nico and his family, but now that he was in the safety of the castle, he could get more comfortable. He smirked to himself as he felt his slave's eyes on his bare body.

“Like what you see, sweetheart?”, teased Derek amused and got dressed again.

His carrier just huffed and turned away. Picking one of Trend's robes, he walked over to Sam and laid the robes beside the slave. Sam automatically scooted away from Derek. The king frowned concerned. He wanted some answers about what had happened to his carrier.

“Here, until we get you some own clothes. It belongs to Trend, so it'll probably be too large for you. But better too large than too small, mh?”, chuckled Derek softly. “If you want to take a shower, or, well, use the toilet, the door right opposite your room leads to a private bathroom. Itannwn is the leading kingdom when it comes to running water. I don't know if you ever experienced it, but a shower is a godsend, that much is for sure. If you want to take a bath, tell me. The di Angelos have one of the most beautiful bathhouses I've ever been to. Courtesy of the queen.”


	5. A Royal's Care Part I

_Chapter 5: A Royal's Care Part I_

 

Dinner had been pleasant, though Derek didn't like that his new property was sitting farther away from him and quite cuddled up to a stranger. He had never seen this brunette boy with the scar over his eye ever before around the palace, but Sam seemed quite chummy with the stranger. Derek didn't like it _at all_. So when dinner was over and Sara and Marshall stood to leave together with Herc and Thea to catch up with their friends, Derek motioned for them to stop.

“Take Sam with you and show him around”, ordered Derek in a firm voice.

“Okay”, nodded Sara curiously and motioned for the slave to follow them.

“Mommy? Can I go and play with my Hoods?”, asked Jack softly, pulling on his mother's sleeve.

“Yes, darling”, nodded Percy and kissed his head, noticing how Trend and Derek were still firmly seated as though they were waiting. “Jimmy, Silly, go and bring your brother and his Hoods out to the garden to play. Thess, Percy, you're dismissed too.”

“Dismissed?”, mouthed Thess with a frown.

Donny shrugged and nudged his younger brother to go. In the end, Nico, Percy, Donny, Sander, Derek, Trend and Phyl were the only ones remaining. The courts of the royal family always ate with them, though at separate tables surrounding the royal table. Though Nico's and Percy's court had already left. They were more experienced and they had already caught on with the tension surrounding King Derek. A private audience between the two kings was what would follow.

“Uhm... s—should I leave too?”, asked Phyl, feeling uncomfortable.

As she stood, Sander stood too. After all, if the well-trusted people all left to leave the royals alone, he as a slave should have scattered a long time ago, probably. But he was stopped before he could go, by the foreign king lifting one hand up and staring him dead in the eyes.

“Phyl, you go and pick up the robes for Sam that you ordered by the tailor, they should be here by now”, stated Derek before turning toward Sander. “Who are you and why do you know my Sam?”

Nico hummed interested and leaned back in his throne, pulling Percy up against his side. They had a double-throne, because Nico didn't like space between himself and his queen. The gorgeous, pregnant carrier practically melted into his side, sighing contently.

“That's Sander, I... got him from the same trader as Sam”, replied Donny, motioning for Sander to join him at the table. “Come here, please. What do you want, Derek? Is something wrong? Do you... not want the carrier I picked for you? I thought it was the one you were talking about.”

“He is”, nodded Derek slowly. “He's absolutely perfect.”

Sander was blushing as he slowly walked up to his prince and sat down at Donny's feet. Donny looked upset that Sander wasn't feeling comfortable enough to sit on the chair next to him, but he was also happy to just have Sander close. He had really grown attached to the brunette.

“What can we do for you, Derek?”, asked Percy after a moment. “Because if you don't have any questions of sorts, I'd like to return to my bed. My feet ache and Nico owes me a foot-rub.”

“Of course, I'm sorry, my queen”, nodded Derek. “I'm just not sure how to... put it.”

“You want to know about your slave”, stated Percy nonchalantly.

“Yes, I want to know about my Sam”, nodded Derek stiffly. “I want to know what happened to him. You warned me, of sorts, before Trend and I went to our chambers. That the trader had taken him, against his consent, but... What does it mean? What did he do?”

“Sander”, prompted Nico seriously. “You are the one who was there.”

Sander squirmed uncomfortably. So far, they hadn't asked him about those things. Well, so far, Donny had just been kind to him. Sander had slept most of the time of the past four days, with Donny taking care of his injuries, changing the bandages. Now everyone was staring at him.

“Come on, Sander, it's alright”, whispered Donny softly, caressing Sander's hair.

“Leroy has taken a... liking to Sam ever since he captured him”, whispered Sander and averted his eyes to stare at the floor. “A—And he... started... taking Sam a couple of weeks ago... I'm his work slave. Putting up the stand, keeping everything in check, especially the slaves for sale. I found Sam, after the first time. And he was crying a—and sobbing and... But I couldn't help much. I'm just a slave too and Leroy is... tall. Big. A giant. I couldn't fight him when he raped Sam.”

“But you attempted to”, pointed Nico out, interested. “The way Donny told us, he got you and Sam because he interrupted Trader Leroy when he was in the middle of whipping you for interfering when he wanted to take Sam. Or wasn't that the case?”

Trend cocked one eyebrow. He silently observed, resting one hand on Derek's thigh. This took an interesting turn. So the boy who had been talking the whole dinner with Sam was a sort of protector? A friend, or more? Trend had seen the way it had affected Derek. Yes, the blonde was intrigued by the carrier too, but Derek had downright fallen for the boy already.

“Not... entirely, your highness”, mumbled Sander, biting his lips. “He had taken Sam the night before, but I got into trouble because he... he always forces Sam to eat this disgusting stuff the day after and it already smells really bad and Sam's always in pain then. So when he forced it down Sam's throat, I tried to stop him, because I was afraid he was poisoning my friend.”

Much to basically everybody's confusion and surprise did that cause quite the reaction from Percy. The queen sat up and stared intensely at Sander, his eyes wide and jaw clenched, knuckles white.

“The disgusting stuff, were it herbs?”, asked Percy, sounding untypically serious.

“I—I, yeah, I guess”, nodded Sander stiffly, obviously confused. “Why, your highness?”

“T—That... _bastard_ ”, growled Percy and gritted his teeth, slowly standing.

“Percy, love, calm down. You know anger isn't good for the baby”, whispered Nico, holding onto his wife, keeping Percy in place. “What's wrong, love?”

“You know how there are the herbs that prevent me from falling pregnant, right?”, asked Percy, earning himself a nod from Nico and curious looks from the teens. “Look, there are herbs that, cooked as tea, work to keep a carrier from falling pregnant. You should probably go get some on your next trip to the market if you don't want Sam constantly pregnant, because, well, we carriers are prone for falling pregnant... easily, to put it lightly. But those herbs are expensive. There are cheaper ones, to be chewed the day after sex. They basically... rid the body of... a forming fetus. Sam probably sweat a lot, had abdominal cramps? That's because this bastard violently forced the fruits of his deeds out of Sam. I've seen it before. Traders often can't resist the temptation, so they take what they shouldn't take. But a pregnant carrier is kind of a dead giveaway and would get the trader in trouble. Getting the herbs is easy. But it's a hellish kind of pain for the carrier.”

“H—Has... W—What... about you...? How do you know that...?”, asked Nico, his throat tight.

Percy just shrugged slowly and turned away from Nico. “Trader Gabe wasn't much better than Trader Leroy. I took the herbs before too, yes. They're... painful. Extremely painful. I take going into labor over them every day of the week. It's... the psychological level that's... nearly worse. We're carriers. We don't just can get pregnant, or have an extremely high rate of falling pregnant, compared to women, but... we also have a stronger bond to our children. A primal craving to bear children, to nourish. It's why most carriers break when their owners take their carrier-children away and sell them. But having a pregnancy, even if it's just a possible pregnancy, ended in such a cruel way... That's... a... really close call for most. If this bastard did that repeatedly, honestly it's a miracle that he's so... normal. When he interacts with Sander and all.”

Sander blushed as the attention turned back to him. “He's my best friend. He's like a brother to me.”

“Mh... I think that's what helped him”, whispered Percy softly, his eyes sad as he looked first at Sander and then at Derek. “I think that... Sander is the only person Sam trusts. I'd like to suggest that you stay with us for a while. Contact to Sander may help Sam's healing process. And believe me, Sam needs that. I also want Octavian send over to check Sam through again, under this new aspect. There are certain medics that Octavian can give Sam to sooth the pain he's most likely still in. After all, it's only been what? Three days? The way I remember it, the effect lasted for about a week, albeit it gets better with time and hurts less. Dull pain by now, I'd say.”

“Thank you”, whispered Derek softly and honestly. “For... you know, everything.”

“Just... promise me one thing, King Derek”, replied Percy, voice equally soft. “Take good care of him. He's been through hell. He needs patience and someone willing to care.”

“Yes, my queen”, nodded Derek in understanding, fingers linked with Trend's. “If you'd excuse us now, I'd... like to check on Sammy. You'll send your healer later?”

“I'll give you some time alone first”, nodded Percy and slumped back, watching them leave.

Nico frowned concerned. “Donny, bambino. Take your Sander and go to your room. I think it's time for you to change his bandages anyway, isn't it?”

Donny nodded and followed after Derek and Trend, together with Sander. That left Nico and Percy alone in the dining hall. The king took a deep breath and turned toward his love, looking down at the carrier with soft and worried eyes. Percy looked hurt and also somehow guilty.

“You never told me”, stated Nico, his voice low and even.

“I didn't know how”, admitted Percy softly. “At first I couldn't because... you were the first one to treat me nice and I was afraid you'd send me away again if you knew that I was... soiled. And later... I just really had no idea how to tell you, when to tell you. I thought it better not to.”

“I love you, Perseus”, murmured Nico and pulled his partner up, lips pressed against Percy's forehead. “You should rest some, my love. I'll get Reyna and Piper to bring you to our chamber.”

Percy just nodded. He hated being coddled like that, but he knew that right now, Nico needed that. The king left the dining hall to find both their court waiting in front of the door, within a respectful distance. Nico coughed slightly and straightened, getting their attention.

“Octavian, you're required at King Derek's chambers. Not right away, but you can already go and prepare everything. The boy's been... raped and ingested some herbs to forcefully stop a pregnancy, that's what Percy said at least. Reyna, Piper, please bring Percy back to our chambers and make sure he's comfortable. Annabeth, I need you to put your brains to good use and track down Trader Gabe. Take Jason and Luke with you to arrest him”, stated Nico calmly.

Reyna, Jason and Octavian were Nico's handmaiden, bodyguard and adviser respectively, just like Piper, Luke and Annabeth were Percy's. They all nodded at his instructions. Reyna and Piper entered the dining hall to go and fetch Percy, while Octavian left, muttering something about 'too bloody little information to work with'. Only Annabeth, Luke and Jason remained.

“Arrest him? With what charges, Nico?”, questioned Jason confused.

He wasn't just Nico's bodyguard, he was also Nico's closest friend. “Rape. I just learned very... delicate, new details about Percy's time in the... system. This man broke the law and he tried to break the most precious person I have. I want Trader Gabe and Trader Leroy executed before tomorrow morning, I don't care what it takes for you to track them down, but you will.”

“Trader Leroy? But I thought Prince Donny pleaded you to be merciful”, threw Luke in.

Luke was always siding with the kids, because Luke was always siding with Percy. There were times that Nico regretted putting Luke up as Percy's bodyguard. The guy was always siding with Percy and he was a little too close to Percy for Nico's liking. The only reason why Nico hadn't taken him off duty was Nico's adviser Octavian, because the two blondes had started dating years ago.

“For injuring a member of the royal family, yes”, grunted Nico with gritted teeth. “And I didn't like agreeing to that, but now that I know that this man repeatedly broke one of the most sacred rules our law system has... Not to... defile the carriers that are supposed to stay pure until being sold. Not that I care about that. He raped a boy and then put him through even more pain. I want him to dangle right next to Trader Gabe by the time sun rises tomorrow. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir”, chorused the three blondes and left.

 

/break\

 

Trend and Derek were silent as they walked up to their chambers. They had a lot to digest. The way they had understood Donny's hasty explanation before, they had assumed the trader had _tried_ to take the carrier against his will. Not that he had taken the boy repeatedly.

“Hey, guys”, nodded Derek slowly as they approached Marshall and Sara in front of the chambers.

“Hey”, whispered Sara back. “He was... looking sick after a while, we suggested for him to lay down, but Shally thought you wouldn't want him to be totally alone, so... we stayed.”

“Thanks”, grunted Derek, gritting his teeth. “You're dismissed. Go and have some private time.”

Marshall exchanged a look with Trend and only when the blonde nodded did Marshall hook arms with Sara and leave. Derek took a deep breath, waiting a moment before basically sneaking into his own chambers, finger pressed against his lips. Trend caught on with what his lover was up to. Sam was putting a brave and angry front up when with others, but right now, he was all on his own. The best moment to see who the boy truly was and what he was truly thinking.

The chamber was laying in silence as the two men entered. At first, they thought that Sam was simply asleep. But then they heard a whimper. Frowning concerned, Trend pushed Derek behind himself a little. Always the protective knight in shining armor, mused Derek with a small grin. They reached the other bedroom, peeking in through the open door. Sam was laying on the bed, curled together so tightly, he looked smaller than Donny even. He was clutching his midsection, sweat covering his body. This had probably been the first time he had done something exhausting like a long walk ever since he had been... assaulted. Derek gulped hard. What Queen Percy had said about those herbs, what they did, it sounded so cruel. Painful. Horrifying.

“Sammy?”, whispered Derek softly and sat down on the bed. “Are you feeling sick?”

“N—No. Fine. Just tired”, pressed Sam out between his teeth.

“Don't lie”, warned Trend firmly, tilting Sam's chin so the boy looked at him. “What hurts?”

“S—Stomach”, muttered Sam, blinking a couple of times. “Fever...”

Derek left again, so Trend took a seat at the foot-end of the small bed, looking the sweating carrier up and down. When Derek returned, he was carrying a bowl of water and a towel.

“To cool you down some, sweetheart”, murmured Derek softly. “Can you turn onto your back?”

“I don't wanna...”, mumbled Sam, face buried into the pillow.

He was kind of cute, all whiny and whimpering. Well, if he wouldn't be in so much pain, then Derek could actually appreciate the adorableness of the boy's pout and whine. Trend frowned concerned and left the room, roaming the halls to find the healer and bring him as soon as possible.

“Sander told us what happened to you, sweetheart”, whispered Derek softly, placing the cloth on Sam's forehead. “I'm... so, so sorry, sweetheart. I promise you, I'll treat you better. I promise.”

Sam just huffed, but he was too exhausted to reply. He just leaned into the cooling touch. Derek was relieved when Trend joined them again, together with a blonde man who was carrying a lot of stuff. The obviously annoyed healer ushered Derek away so he could take a look.

“Get out of here, you two. I don't need you looming over me while I work”, ordered Octavian.

Derek glared fiercely and it took Trend grabbing him around the waist and carrying him out to get rid of the young king. Trend closed the door and pulled Derek toward their bed. The king glared.

“Babe”, whispered Trend firmly, cupping Derek's cheek.

“T—This man hurt him”, countered Derek upset. “You saw Sammy. He's a good boy. He didn't deserve it. Fuck, no one deserves that. W—What if it's... permanent damage or something...?”

“Come here”, ordered Trend and pulled Derek with him down onto the bed.

They curled together, both staring at the door in expectations. Waiting was annoying and Derek wasn't the only one who thought so. Trend liked to be in control of a situation and right now, he wasn't. Derek was right, this boy was special in a way Trend couldn't comprehend. He had never met someone like Sam and the thought of losing the boy before even getting to know him would be horrible. Especially with the way Derek was already feeling about Sam. Trend had never seen Derek display such emotions. Not in this way. In a firmly protective manner like this.

“He'll be alright and he'll be ours”, promised Trend, brushing his lips against Derek's forehead.

“I'd appreciate it if I wouldn't have to do such an emergency call again any time soon”, declared Octavian as he entered the bedroom with a scowl attached to his face. “He will _not_ move for the next three days. Bathroom, yes. But not out of those chambers. I don't care how uncommon it is, but you'll bring your slave his food to his bed, because he's not leaving this room.”

“That's okay”, nodded Derek hastily and sat up. “B—But is he alright? Will he be alright?”

“These herbs put his body through enormous levels of stress, physically and psychologically. Normally, it doesn't affect them as much since slaves don't move around a lot. Staying in their cages for days afterward is enough to deal with the effect, but thanks to your kind suggestion to walk around the giant palace, he's basically overdone it”, replied Octavian. “He needs to rest. The remedy I gave him has to be cooked up as tea. Two times a day. Mornings and nights. I left the jar next to his bed for now. Which is a good place. The bed, I mean. He needs to rest, most preferably comfortable and not on the floor. He needs to sleep and save some energy. Nothing exhausting, _especially_ no sex. And if you don't want off-springs, use the rose-splint tea, the herbs are expensive but neither harmful nor painful, unlike the thorn-root.”

“Stop talking to me like that”, growled Derek dangerously. “I'd never hurt him, especially not like that! Accuse me of such things again and I'll see you in the dungeons!”

Octavian cocked one unimpressed eyebrow. “You never know with royalty. If you'd excuse me now, I have to take care of my family. Stick to my instructions and he should be fine in a few days.”

“Thank you”, nodded Trend stiffly.

 

/break\

 

Sander was laying completely comfortable on his bed, with Donny straddling his waist and cleaning the wounds on Sander's back. As awkward as Sander had felt about this at first – about everything, honestly – as much did he love it by now. The chambers of royalty normally consisted of four bedrooms, he knew that, the largest of course owned by the member of the royal family, the room linked to it supposed to be for the bodyguard, then one room left and one right to the chambers that were supposed to go to the adviser and the handmaiden. Since Donny's adviser Thea and his bodyguard Herc were dating, they shared one of the separate bedrooms besides Donny's, while the handmaiden Phyl was staying in the separate bedroom on the other side. It had made Sander blush a lot when Donny had told him _he_ would be staying in the bedroom connected to the prince's. It had all been awkward and weird at first; a slave in the room closest to a royal's, a room supposed to belong to the one protecting the prince. So Sander had sworn, even though just to himself, that he would be that man. He would protect the kind, lovable prince. Donny had been nothing but wonderful and kind to Sander ever since the two had first met. He had taken Sander in, had saved Sander's best friend from hell, had given Sander nice words, a bed to sleep in and personal care.

“Thank you, my prince”, whispered Sander softly as Donny finished.

“I told you to call me Donny”, chided Donny with a sweet smile.

Sander felt his heart beating fast at that. Donny had the most brilliant smile Sander had ever seen, so innocent and joyful. Never had Sander seen anyone as beautiful as Donny when he smiled.

“And I told you I'm not comfortable with the informality. I'm a slave, you're my owner.”

“I'd rather be your friend”, stated Donny with a sad look.

Sander averted his eyes as he felt his ears heat up. How could anyone be that... Donny? Honestly, Sander was running out of adjectives that meant cute, adorable, sweet, kind and lovable, so he just started to summarize all of that up as 'Donny'. Donny was amazing. Donny was Donny.

“I'd like that too”, mumbled Sander beneath his breath.

“Really?”, asked Donny excited, jumping up and down with sparkling eyes.

“You're very nice, I think it'd be an honor to call you my friend”, whispered Sander.

“I think the honor would be on my side”, smiled Donny, his eyes dancing with honesty. “What you did for Sam was... more than noble. Most would have just turned the other way, especially in your position. But you must be a very good and kind soul to stand up for him like that. He's a carrier, most... don't care about what happened to them at the hands of their owners, even just temporary owners like the traders. I admire that you went through that kind of pain for him.”

“He's no less human or a man just because he can have babies and I can't”, stated Sander confused. “He's my best friend. We talked a lot during our... uhm... captivity.”

Donny smiled a little. “That's the kind of mindset my kingdom has, so you fit right in.”

“It has to, I mean, your mom's a carrier _and_ the queen”, stated Sander thoughtful. “That's really a lot. The kingdom I'm from... uhm... let's not talk about it.”

Sander had mentioned his home before, Donny distinctively knew where he was from and he knew what was standard for his home kingdom. Carriers were sacrificed to the gods to ask for their favor. That happened in a lot of other realms, especially on the other side of the oceans.

“You have a very liberal mind considering that”, pointed Donny out, curiously.

“Never even been there. I've been taken as a slave when I was little. And if someone is a good person, it doesn't matter if they're male or female, if they can have babies, where their home is, what god or gods they worship, what color their skin is, it just matters that they're nice”, replied Sander.

“I really like you”, grinned Donny happily.

Sander blushed and offered a shy grin of his own. “I really like you too. My prince.”

 

/break\

 

The next morning, just as the sun was coloring the fields a light pink, King Nico sneaked out of his chambers, his queen still sound asleep. He walked just outside of the palace walls to where the stands for execution were. He stood proud and with a confident glare as he watched the executor. Some people whispered as they spotted their king. He normally didn't participate in the far and in between executions of their kingdom, because his queen was pro-life and Percy had raised their children with the same mindset, so to appease the family, Nico only let those be executed who did such heinous crimes that death was really the only punishment left for them. Murderers and child rapists. They were the only ones even Percy unwillingly agreed with. Back in the old days, when Nico had just been a small child, executions happened _a lot_. To entertain the public, to set examples. Percy said that ruling with love and mercy would be better and by now, Nico had to agree with his wife. Many other kings struggled with protests and uproars from the commoners, but Nico and Percy were widely loved throughout their kingdom, regardless of how uncommon Nico's choice in partner was. Or maybe even because of that. The beacon of hope that even a slave could raise to royalty. So they ruled with mercy and kindness. But there was no way in the nine circles of hell that Nico would show kindness and mercy to the man who had raped his most beloved.

He locked eyes with Trader Gabe, a terrified, little man who obviously had no idea what was happening. Nico's eyes were cold and hard. The eyes of a predator ready to tear his prey apart.

There were only strangled gasps and a thud as the bodies fell. Only moments of struggle before both men hung lifeless from the ropes around their necks, souls forever gone.

The other man may not have attacked one of Nico's family, but Nico considered Derek family. A dear nephew. And the way he saw it, Trader Leroy had committed treason on Derek's future queen.


	6. A Royal's Care Part II

_Chapter 6: A Royal's Care Part II_

 

Sam frowned when he next woke up. His master was sitting at his bedside, placing a wet cloth on Sam's head and offering him a soft smile when he noticed that Sam was awake.

“Hey there, sweetheart”, whispered the king tenderly. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. But better”, mumbled Sam, yawning widely.

“Here. You need to eat something. You've been asleep for nearly a whole day”, stated Derek with a frown, handing Sam a tray filled with delicious-looking food. “I got you breakfast, cutie. Eat up.”

Sam frowned disturbed and pushed the plate away. “You... do know that's not how things work, right? I'm your _slave_. You're not supposed to... coddle your property like that. The master's not supposed to bring the slave breakfast to bed. Why are you doing this?”

“You're my property”, nodded Derek slowly, pushing the plate back to Sam. “But I want you to be more than that. Like I said, I want you to trust me. I'm not going to throw you into a corner just because you're in pain, sweetheart. And now _eat_. That's an _order_ , pretty boy.”

Sam flushed a little as a shudder went down his spine at the commanding tone of his master. He took the plate, not just to obey but also because he was  _really_ hungry. Leroy had never really given them a lot of food, he had felt like starving for weeks now.

“Hey there, slow down some, tiger. It won't be the last food you get”, laughed Derek amused.

“Ah, he's awake. That's good. It makes giving him the tea easier than last night.”

Sam looked up wide-eyed as the handsome blonde entered the room, carrying a steaming cup. Those two were such a perfect, little couple. The handsome, bulky blonde and his pretty king. Gulping down the eggs in his mouth, he wanted to ask a question, but before he could, the blonde thrust the cup into his hands. Sam frowned unsure, sniffing the tea.

“It's a herbal mix”, explained Trend softly, watching how Sam flinched. “No. No, not like what the trader gave you, I promise. It will sooth your pain. The healer made the mix. It will help you.”

“Why should I trust you?!”, spat Sam angered. “The trader said the same thing the first time he gave me his herbs. Why should I believe that this isn't something that puts me through more pain?!”

Trend knelt down in front of Sam and held the brunette's face firmly between his hands, forcing Sam to look at him. “Because we will  _never_ hurt you, Sam. You can either take a risk now and drink the tea, or leave it standing and go back to your fever and cramps. It's your decision, but we're not going to force you to drink it. We just want to help you.”

It was strange. How much Trend had been against the idea of taking a carrier in, but he had never met an enigma like Sam. The boy was so different, so broken. And Trend wanted to pick up the pieces and put them back together again, because he knew underneath all the pain was something utterly beautiful. Sam still looked unsure about it, but he cautiously took a sip of the tea.

“You'll have to stay in bed for the next two days, sweetheart. Healer's orders”, stated Derek while he watched Trend and Sam. “We'll bring you your meals and if there is something you'd like, maybe... drawing or something, something you can do while being in bed, just tell us, okay? I want you to be comfortable and get better soon. And you don't have to go out of your mind with boredom. When I once broke my leg, I felt like going crazy when I had to lay in bed all day. Now rest some more.”

Derek laughed a little before leading Trend out of the room. Sam was glad for the privacy. They both had really intense eyes and it made him uncomfortable how both kept staring at him. They were making him uncomfortable in general. Why were they behaving like this? Especially so the king. The bodyguard, well, he was probably a commoner, maybe more inclined toward the notion that slaves were humans too, but never had Sam heard of a king who brought his slave food to the bedside. The way he had witnessed things, kings and other royals alike rather got rid of a broken slave instead of trying to fix them again. Buying a new one was easier than waiting for the slave to get better. Why was the king being so tender and patient? Even if he was feeling generous and helped a slave out, why would he do it with so much... care? It was very unsettling.

 

/break\

 

Sander was smiling happily as he woke up in his bed, in his room. Yawning widely, he got up and hastily got dressed before leaving his room to check on his master. The prince was like a picture, olive-skin and black curls in a stark contrast to the white sheets, the sun-beams coming through the window caressing his skin softly, making it glow nearly golden. Rosy lips were parted a little in the boy's sleep, making him look all the more adorable. Sander had traveled a lot with his previous master, the trader. He had been one of the few owned slaves of Trader Leroy, responsible for protecting the goods and putting up their stands and camp whenever they arrived somewhere, or putting it back together when they would leave. To make it short, he had traveled a lot in the past years, but never before had he seen anyone, or anything, even remotely as beautiful as Prince Donny. He walked up to the windows and pulled the curtains aside to let the sun in properly.

“Good morning, my prince. It's time to wake up”, declared Sander loudly.

Donny rubbed his eyes and turned to look at his most precious possession. A small smile spread over his lips as he took the enchanting sight in. Sander was wearing loose, white linen pants and nothing else. His delicious, muscular upper body was bare and very inspiring.

“Morning, San”, yawned Donny and ruffled his curls. “Did you sleep well?”

“Not really”, admitted Sander with an upset frown. “I'm worried about Sam.”

Donny sat up and waited for Phyl to enter. She greeted them both shyly and brought Donny his clothes, as well as a bowl with semi-hot water. Donny started to wash himself before getting dressed, while Sander made Donny's bed. Smiling a little, Donny turned to Sander.

“Would you like and go visit Sam?”, asked Donny. “We could go now, mh?”

The way Sander's face lit up was really all the answer Donny needed. Laughing softly, he took Sander's hand and pulled him along, motioning for Phyl to tell his parents he would come later for breakfast. Sander was giddy to get to see Sam, see if his best friend was alright.

“Derek? Can we come in?”, asked Donny and knocked on the door.

“Who is we?”, grunted Derek from inside.

Donny grinned amused and opened the door, entering with Sander following close by. Both of them blushed furiously when they saw the tangled limbs of Trend and Derek between the sheets, both of them naked and sweaty. Derek turned to glare at them from where he was laying on Trend's chest.

“What do you want?”, groaned Derek annoyed. “I'm in the middle of something here.”

“Actually, we just finished”, corrected Trend, cocking one eyebrow.

“Sander was worried about Sam, I thought he could check on Sam?”, explained Donny softly.

Derek heaved a sigh and nodded into the direction of the other bedroom. Sander exchanged a last look with Donny, asking for permission before dashing off right into the room, leaving the door open. Derek and Trend sat up to get dressed while Donny took a seat on the couch.

“Hey there”, whispered Sander softly as he knelt down in front of Sam's bed.

“Sander”, stated Sam, sounding happy.

Derek and Trend scooted closer to the door on their bed to listen in. Donny rolled his eyes at them.

“How are you feeling?”, asked Sander concerned, running his fingers through Sam's hair.

“Like shit”, groaned Sam, curling in on himself. “H—Hurts worse than ever before...”

“I know”, cooed Sander tenderly, grabbing the cooling cloths to place it back on Sam's forehead. “You were exercising too much, it wasn't good for you. But my prince promised you'll be fine.”

“You... trust him?”, asked Sam reluctantly.

“Yes”, replied Sander without missing a beat. “You remember how Leroy whipped me? My prince took care of my injuries, himself. Didn't even send a servant to do it and he was being all tender. And he's so nice and so very, very, very pretty. And he's really kind.”

Sam made a non-comical sound. Donny all the while blushed brightly at the words, causing Derek to snicker a little. Trend grinned and kissed his lover, looking through the door at the two slaves.

“Don't you trust your new master?”, asked Sander confused. “He's very pretty too. Maybe a little mean, but I think he means well too. He took care of you, I saw it. And he was very worried about you when you were so bad yesterday. He was really afraid that you may... not wake up.”

“Why should he?”, snorted Sam viciously. “I'm just a slave. If I kick the bucket, he can just buy a new one, what's the big deal about that? Why should he care?”

“Because they're not bad people”, stated Sander firmly. “Just because they're on the other end of the food-chain doesn't mean that they're bad. _You_ should know that, Sam!”

“Dún do bheal”, spat Sam out and rolled over.

Derek frowned confused. He recognized the language, it was spoken on one of his islands. So Sam was from Derek's kingdom to begin with? But what had Sander been talking about?

“You can curse as much as you want, Sam”, sighed Sander and shook his head. “One day you'll realize that it's true. After all, why should they take personal care of us slaves if they don't care?”

With that said, Sander stood and left the room, offering Donny a small, grateful smile.

 

/break\

 

Percy moaned and stretched out. He liked being woken that way. Nico was leaning over him, showering his pregnant belly with soft and tender kisses. Percy smiled a little amused.

“You going to tell me where you were sneaked off to earlier this morning?”

“Mh? Whatever are you talking about, amato marito?”, asked Nico innocently.

“Don't”, warned Percy and sat up. “Don't do that. Don't act like I'm _dumb_.”

“I'm not, l'amore della mia vita”, promised Nico, also setting up. “I just...”

“You think I won't approve”, stated Percy unimpressed, glaring. “You know the rules, Niccoló Antonio Cosimo di Angelo della Morte. If you _really_ love me, if I'm really more than just a _slave_ to you, you _have_ to trust me and don't hide stuff from me.”

Nico flinched and turned away. It was a low-blow, but it never failed. Nico had declared, back when he had asked for Percy's hand, that Percy was his world, was so much more than just his property. Percy had asked him to prove it by always being honest, by treating him like an equal. And Nico had made a promise, that he would always make Percy a part of his decisions.

“I'm sorry, my beloved, wonderful queen”, whispered Nico and kissed Percy softly. “You're right. I thought you wouldn't approve of the decision I made and I didn't want to upset you.”

“Now tell me what a decision that was, Nico”, prompted Percy, cupping Nico's cheek.

“I... let Trader Gabe and Trader Leroy be executed this morning”, stated Nico firmly, taking a deep breath. “I know you're against the death sentence, but after you told me yesterday that this monster raped you, I just... I couldn't live knowing that he was alive and in my kingdom.”

“And Leroy?”, questioned Percy, raising one eyebrow.

“Would I be a fair king if I'd only avenge my own queen? I saw the look on Derek's face when you talked about what Sam must have been through. I know that Sam is more than just a carrier to Derek, I know that not too far in the future, Derek will make him his queen”, replied Nico.

Percy sighed softly and got comfortable against his husband's side. “You should have told me.”

“Would you have let me do it then?”, questioned Nico and cocked one eyebrow.

“Maybe not...”, mumbled Percy with a shrug and leaned up to kiss Nico's cheek. “But... now... I don't approve of killing, but I also can't deny that I'm relieved to know that he is gone forever...”

“I love you, Percy. And I will _always_ protect you”, murmured Nico, kissing Percy's temple.

 

/break\

 

Trend was mixing different herbs, just like the healer had explained to him – 'I'm not coming here and pampering him two times a day, watch and do it yourself, brat'. Octavian may not be the most compassionate and kind person, but he was wise and a brilliant healer.

“Are you done yet? Can't you hurry some?”, complained Derek annoyed.

Trend would chide him for it, but the worry was evident in Derek's dark eyes. The young king was seated on the slave's bed, constantly wiping Sam's sweaty forehead with a wet cloth. Cramps had been haunting Sam for hours now and Derek _hated_ to see his gorgeous little carrier in so much pain. He'd rather have Sam lashing out at him like previously. This weak and vulnerable Sam was unsettling, especially since Derek had no idea how to help the pretty boy.

“Give me some more time, will you?”, sighed Trend irritated. “I'm not an educated healer, so let me do this slow and steady. I wouldn't want to screw up in my hurry.”

“Right. Of course. Okay”, nodded Derek hastily, turning his attention back to Sam, tenderly caressing the brown, wavy hair. “Sh, sweetheart, it'll be alright again.”

Trend had to smile to himself at that. He wasn't really used to the caring Derek, had only truly seen that one when he himself had been sick before. It had been a startling experience, to have Derek being all doting and tender and careful, compared to his normal bitch-routine.

“All done. Open up wide, Sam”, declared Trend and carried the bowl over to the bed.

He sat down next to Derek, who tried to pry Sam's mouth open. The boy fought, even in his sleep. Trend tried not to think about why Sam was so frightened when someone opened his mouth. He truly hoped the boy wasn't broken beyond repair.

 

/break\

 

“You should be in bed.”

“I should kick you in the shine for this comment”, huffed Percy and glared.

He was walking out of the castle, flanked by his adviser Annabeth and his handmaiden Piper. Annabeth glared at his retort, while Piper was wise enough to stay out of this. After being Percy's attendant for so many years, she knew better than to get into the middle of an argument between Annabeth and Percy, because the two best friends were quite in their own world then.

“I'm just concerned about you. And your baby. You know, the royal heir you've been carrying around for eight months now”, replied Annabeth sharply.

“Yes, I am quite aware of that. Are you aware that I did just perfectly fine with my last five pregnancies?”, countered Percy with a deadpan. “I know how much I can handle, Annabeth.”

“I believe that, but King Nico would prefer for you to stay in bed, or at the very least in the palace, if not in your chambers. You shouldn't walk around so much”, sighed Annabeth concerned.

“Well, you're my servants and not his and last time I checked, I was still the queen around here, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't question me”, pressed Percy out between gritted teeth.

Annabeth remained silent. She knew where Percy was coming from and she also knew that Percy treated everyone – royal, slave and servant alike – equally. So for him to pull the 'I'm the queen, I'm in charge'-card, this must be pretty serious and important to her friend.

“Where are we going?”, asked Piper instead, trying to change the topic.

“There... was an execution this morning. I... want to see the bodies”, stated Percy softly.

Piper and Annabeth stiffened a little. They remembered this morning and Nico's orders, but they hadn't expected for Percy to know about the execution, much less to wish and see the bodies.

“Percy...”, started Annabeth, not liking the idea all that much.

“Please just let me have this”, sighed Percy, turning his famous puppy-eyes on the girls.

The three continued in silence until they reached the gallows. Two bodies were dangling from it, with bystanders still stopping to gape curiously. It was a rare occasion in their realm to have an execution anymore. Piper and Annabeth bowed a little to the two guards. Two members of the Royal Guard, the knights of the di Angelo family. A married couple by the names of Clarisse and Chris. Clarisse was a little bit of a brute and glared a lot, but most of the time, Percy and Clarisse got along very well. Especially so since their daughters had joined the Hunt together. Chris and Clarisse had two children, two daughters. The younger one, Carry, was the handmaiden of Princess Silly, while the older one named Calandra had been the bodyguard of Princess Bianca. Calandra and Bianca had joined the Hunt, the all-female special force of the kingdom, at age sixteen, the princess giving up her crown to do so. Both Percy and Clarisse were quite proud of their daughters.

“My queen”, greeted Chris surprised. “What can we do for you?”

“Nothing”, stated Percy and shook his head, eyes fixed on the lifeless body of Gabe.

Clarisse stared at him for a moment before her eyes followed his and came to lay on the trader. This morning, the king had let two slave traders be executed for breaking the laws. One of them being the one King Nico had bought Percy from. Clarisse wasn't sure what the man had done, but she knew that he had to have done something awful to Percy to anger Nico so much.

“It's over”, stated Clarisse. “What... does that feel like?”

Percy blinked a couple of times and turned to Clarisse. Clarisse, Chris and their older daughter had come from a foreign country, had fled here twelve years ago when their own kingdom had been attacked and plundered. Calandra used to have a twin-brother, but he had been lost in the war, in a ravage of their village. Percy didn't even want to know what that must feel like, losing a child.

“Not as satisfactory as I had hoped for”, confessed Percy softly.

 

/break\

 

Sander was blushing heavily as he was sitting on his own bed, arms lifted up so Donny could remove the bandages. They had gotten a pretty good routine of this by now. It was a nice feeling to have someone caring for him. The only one who had ever cared for him had been Sam, it was why he was so protective of the other slave. One day, Sander had had a heat stroke while putting up their camp. The trader had been furious because he was lazying about instead of working, had given him an additional beating. Sam had taken care of him and had been nice to him. They had soon become best friends, more like brothers. Sander had a faint memory of having a sibling, but he was pretty sure that was more fantasy than reality. Ever since he remembered, he had been a slave. He didn't remember his parents or anything, only some faint images of a scenery and once, their travels had led him to a place he remembered, it was why he knew where he had come from. But no one in the town had known him – and how should they, after all. It had been too long.

“You're lucky”, observed Sander softly as Donny started to clean his wounds.

“What do you mean?”, asked Donny concerned.

He didn't want to draw any conclusions – that he was royal, that he was rich, that he was... what?

“You have a large, happy family that loves you”, whispered Sander, soundly oddly sad. “Parents and siblings and a home. I never... had any of that. I grew up as a slave.”

“Well, now you have a home. And a family. You have me”, smiled Donny tenderly.

Sander blushed and stared up at his lovable prince. The boy was special, that much was for sure. What other royal would invite a slave into his family like that? Sander knew that one day, Donny would be a wonderful mother and queen. The tender way he took care of Sander's injuries, it wasn't hard to imagine Donny kissing every scratch better on his children's knees.

 

/break\

 

Sam hadn't spoken since he had woken up again. His throat felt sore and everything else was kind of aching too. He was too exhausted to walk or even get up, but he was also not really sleepy. So instead, he was just laying there, wide awake but unmoved. He stared through the open door, with the perfect view of the royal's bed. At least the king wasn't fussing over him at the moment. It seriously started to freak Sam out how worried and loving Trend and Derek were behaving. If he didn't watch out, he may start to get attached. And he couldn't risk that, because if he started to trust those two, it would only hurt even more the first time Derek would take what was his. And the thought already pained him, so he really didn't need to get any more attached.

“Derek, behave yourself”, chided Trend softly, swatting his book at Derek's nose.

“Oh come on, one tiny, little blowjob won't hurt you”, cooed Derek equally soft.

“Sam's right in the next room and he finally fell asleep. It's the first time he settled down in hours, so I'm not risking to wake him up just because you're horny”, stated Trend sternly.

Sam blushed brightly and hid under his covers some more. Why would the blonde be so concerned about him, especially while Sam was supposedly asleep? What was the point in pretending to care if the one they pretended for wasn't even there to witness it? Those two were highly confusing, really. Why put up that facade and go through all that trouble just for a slave...?

“You're right, you're right”, sighed Derek in defeat, collapsing on Trend's chest, glaring at the blonde adviser. “I just _really_ want to taste your cock right now. But my little sweetheart needs his sleep and we can't have him waking up because of your loud mouth, mister.”

“Right”, snorted Trend amused, ruffling Derek's curls. “Which is entirely your mouth's fault.”

“Guilty as charged”, chimed Derek with a broad, mischievous grin.

“You know, I'm pretty sure you and your mouth could... convince Sam quite easily if you'd only get the chance”, hummed Trend thoughtful, hand resting in Derek's neck.

“Same goes for that _amazing_ cock of yours”, huffed Derek, tracing Trend's sixpack. “Then again, he's supposed to be mine. We can't have him more obsessed with your cock than mine.”

Sam glared uncomfortably at the couple. They talking about him so lightly, like it was a total normal conversation for them to talk about making Sam like them. Still with all the pretending of giving Sam a choice. Ridiculous, ridiculous royals. Moaning annoyed, he rolled over.

“Sweetheart?”, called Derek out concerned and sat up. “Are you awake? Are you alright?”

“Yes”, muttered Sam in reply.

And damn, why was he even reacting to this ridiculous, girly nickname? Sweetheart, really. Every time the king was calling him 'sweetheart' or 'cutie', Sam's cheeks heated up and there was a weirdly fuzzy feeling in his belly that was utterly unsettling. The closest he had ever gotten to having nicknames were the names Leroy called him, but they were anything but nice and certainly not affectionate. Then again, _those_ were what was typical. Whore, slut, toy, bitch, breeder. All _they_ did was making Sam flinch and feel dirty and worthless, but somehow the way the king called him a sweetheart, it made him feel loved and cared for and... valuable.

“Are you thirsty, or hungry?”, asked Derek, suddenly standing next to Sam. “Is there anything you need, cutie? You sounded like you were in pain, do you want more medicine?”

“No! No more of that stuff, it tastes awful”, muttered Sam and made a face. “I'm fine, really. I don't need anything from you, go back to coddling your blonde Adonis...”

“My blonde Trend”, corrected Derek, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Looks the same to me”, muttered Sam beneath his breath, hiding his face beneath his arms.

Derek laughed softly and brushed Sam's hair back in a tender motion, to feel if Sam was still feverish. His temperature had gone down, which was a relief. Smiling a little, he turned around and left the boy to rest some more, this time closing the door so Sam wouldn't be bothered.


	7. Collared by a Royal

_Chapter 7: Collared by a Royal_

 

“That's the kind of market I appreciate”, declared Thess before he glared pointedly at Donny.

Luke chuckled softly, one arm around Thess' waist, maybe having his hand rest a little too lowly, but King Nico didn't attend their outings anymore, since his queen was on bed-rest, so no one there to chide him and glare at him. It was just the six of them – Thess and Luke, Donny and Herc, Derek and Trend. It wasn't exactly standard, since Trend was not a bodyguard, but he was trained like one and King Derek wanted to give his bodyguard and his handmaiden some alone-time so Sara and Marshall could have a date-day too. He had also made sure to have Donny's girls, Thea the adviser and Phyl the handmaiden, taking care of Sam while the royals were out.

“You've grown up”, stated Derek and looked Thess up and down. “How old are you now?”

“Fourteen, sire”, stated Thess, wiggling his nose.

“Short of being off-age too”, observed Derek curiously. “Does your father have any plans for you yet? And how come future queen over there is not hooked up yet?”

Sixteen was the age of marriage in most kingdoms of their continent. Thess shrugged and leaned against Luke a little. The blonde glared and tightened his grip on his prince.

“I know my time has come, so to speak”, sighed Donny annoyed. “Mother talked to me about this, that I'll have to find a suitable husband before I hit seventeen...”

“Your mom?”, asked Derek stunned. “The former slave? Not your father, the born royal?”

“Just because mom hasn't been born into royalty doesn't mean he doesn't respect the traditions”, huffed Donny and rolled his eyes. “And so do I. I know that, as the oldest, it is my responsibility to take over if something happens to my parents, just... l—like you. And since I'm a carrier, I need a husband worthy to be the king of our realm. But mom and dad gave me a deadline, so to speak. A chance. I have until one month before my seventeenth birthday to find a husband of my own, otherwise father will chose for me. You know, you were actually his first choice.”

“Yeah?”, asked Derek amused, looking at the silken clothes sold at one of the stands.

“It's an obvious choice, really”, pointed Thess out, holding a blue silken robe up to see how it would look on him. “You were a young prince, the end of your bloodline, a great ally to our kingdom, while Donny is a carrier, so dad wants a husband who will treat him _right_. You're most of the time a nice guy, you respect Donny even though he's a carrier and uniting our kingdoms would make this the greatest force on the continent, making it possible for us to take over even more land.”

“I see a strategist is lost on you”, observed Derek amused. “You could have been a great king.”

“Well, with a little luck, I'll be a good queen to a nice king one day”, replied Thess nonchalantly.

“Let's hope not”, muttered Luke beneath his breath.

While the three royals were chatting, Trend nudged the younger blonde a little. “Don't say things like that. Regardless of your own feelings toward him, you are first and furthermost his servant and a servant to this kingdom, so you will support whatever decision is best for this kingdom.”

“That's easy for you to say”, sneered Luke with a glare, arms crossed over his chest. “You get to keep your lover _and_ another pretty one to top it all off. What would I get? Watching Thess with some other dude, maybe even carrying _his_ child?”

“I was prepared to do the same”, clarified Trend seriously. “I was prepared to step back and watch Derek finding love with someone else, having a pretty wife hanging off his arm.”

“How?”, asked Luke upset. “How do you prepare for that?”

“By loving him and doing what is best for him”, whispered Trend softly.

“What are you two girls chatting about?”, teased Thess and hooked his arm with Luke's. “Come.”

Luke obeyed and followed Thess who wanted to show him something. Donny giggled at that and pulled Derek over to him so he could whisper into the young king's ear.

“Since I will be the next ruler, mom said that if Luke stays strong and interested, he will allow Thess to marry Luke by the time he reaches sixteen”, whispered Donny with a grin. “But neither of them is allowed to know yet, because mom wants to see just how serious they are.”

“Your mother is kind of amazing”, muttered Derek and shook his head.

“Now, enough of my family. Tell me what we're doing here. It's rare for you to request a day on the market, you normally rather enjoy the lagoon and the palace grounds in general”, stated Donny.

“The collar and shackles you had put on my pretty little carrier were _way_ too heavy”, huffed Derek.

“Collar? Shackles?”, asked Donny confused.

“Yeah, with the fancy sex-slave robes”, snorted Derek and rolled his eyes.

“You should know my family better than that”, chided Donny confused. “I got some servants and told them to get him cleaned up and dressed properly before your arrival. One of them must have been new and overly eager with protocol. Protocol has it to put carriers in shackles and special robes. I'll track them down and make them apologize to you and Sam.”

Derek sighed and shook his head. “It's fine. It just set him into a... not very happy mood when I first met him. Don't get me wrong, there _are_ protocols and as long as I don't put a ring on it, he does need a collar. He needs my claim so no trader is going to snatch him up and sell him somewhere else. So I'm here to find a beautiful collar that fits him.”

“Well, jewelry is down that aisle”, grinned Donny and led the way.

“Shopping”, groaned Herc and took the bags that the trader in front of them handed him.

He always ended up carrying everything, whenever Donny would go shopping with Thea and Phyl, but this was even worse. Trend snickered amused as he followed their royals.

“Babe, come here. Help me pick something appropriate for the cutie”, demanded Derek.

“The cutie?”, laughed Donny with dancing eyes, looking at the display himself.

“Yes. _My_ cutie. The one you gave me for my coronation”, nodded Derek. “He's such a sweetheart.”

“What in the world made you come to that conclusion? He's been nothing but rude and loud since I met him”, snorted Donny and shook his head. “I mean, he does look cute, yes, but...”

“He's a sweetheart”, declared Derek fiercely. “He's shy, I saw it in his eyes. And he longs to be loved, but he doesn't trust. He's loud and angry because of what he has been through. But I'll make it good again, I will make him trust me and then you'll see just what a little sweetheart he is.”

Trend smiled amused as he listened to his lover. “This one. The red goes well with his green eyes.”

Derek bit his lips and looked at it. A red leather collar with a red ceramic rose at the center. Roses were Derek's favorite flowers and the red truly would go well with Sam's complexion and eyes. It was about an inch broad, not too thick though. Beneath the rose was a clip for a tag.

“I want the tag engraved with the crest of my family”, declared Derek, waving one hand.

The trader stepped up to him, a pretty but boyish dark-skinned girl, and Derek handed her a handkerchief with his crest – two four-leafed clovers, crossed and facing each other. The booth-owner was happy about the sale, because this collar was _expensive_ , especially with the pure, golden tag. While they were busy talking transaction, Donny's eyes roamed the other collars.

“I'm pretty sure Sander would be happy about one of those”, commented Herc softly.

“What makes you say that?”, asked Donny and blushed.

“He's a slave, a raised slave. You make him uncomfortable with your let's-all-be-friends-attitude. I understand you and I know where you're coming from, but he doesn't. Especially not after his last owner, who _whipped_ him in public for speaking up. You try making him call you by your first name, not even that but a nickname, something familiar and intimate. When you're not looking, he still sometimes has that frightened look on his face, as though someone will punish him for disrespecting his master. Get him a collar, because even if you want to be his friend, he still _is_ your slave. Get a little easier on him, Donny”, advised Herc with a knowing look.

Donny nodded slowly. He easily forgot that not every place was their palace, that not every place was this free and that Sander had been born in a foreign country and raised as a slave. He hadn't even considered that he may be making Sander uncomfortable by trying to make him comfortable.

“What... do you think would look good on Sander?”, asked Donny shyly.

“A ball-gag and a pair of cuffs”, mused Derek with a dirty grin.

“Derek, please be serious”, sighed Donny embarrassed.

“I am serious”, huffed Derek and rolled his eyes. “He'd make a cute bottom.”

Donny frowned concerned. That wasn't what he had taken Sander in for. Sex at all, that was, not just bottoming. Though he would have judged Sander to be a top. He was so protective and strong and muscular and delicious. Donny could picture himself beneath that trained body, with his legs around that waist while Sander... Shaking his head, he tried to break that line of thought before he made a fool of himself in public. Blushing furiously, Donny tried concentrating on the collars at hand, but honestly, they weren't really helpful either. Sander wearing his collar, looking at Donny with those large, hopeful eyes, asking _What can I do for you, master?_ , because oh, Donny knew exactly what Sander could do for Donny. He could do Donny, for starters.

“Oh my god, you are having naughty thoughts”, declared Derek with a wicked snicker. “That glazed-over look in your eyes, the slightly open mouth, drooling a little. You are so having naughty thoughts! I demand details, Hades Poseidon!”

Donny made a face at the usage of his full name. Everybody always called him Donny, even on official events, because Hades Poseidon di Angelo was just embarrassing and annoying.

“Shut up and help me pick a collar for my Sander”, huffed Donny flustered.

“Mh... A collar for your Sander, I think I have a good idea what kind of naughty thoughts are going through that pretty, curly head of yours”, chuckled Derek softly. “The turquoise one. I know your country's colors are black, silver and blue, but I just think that... it fits him better.”

It was simple, which was okay, because Sander didn't strike Donny as a fancy guy. Turquoise leather, with a golden tag dangling in the middle. He smiled faintly. It would be perfect, engraved with their family crest – a skull with ruby eyes and a trident behind the skull.

“Can we put rubies into the tag? I wish for it to bear my family's crest”, requested Donny.

“Gotta ask my partner there, your highness”, started the dark-skinned girl and turned around. “Yo, Nico, move your ass over here! Customer's got a question! Customer is our prince!”

Nico, a gorgeous girl from a foreign country, emerged soon after, offering them a smile. “Joe?”

“He wants rubies put into the tag of the collar”, explained Joe, nodding at the collar.

“Name's Nico Zhang, I'm the daughter of the royal blacksmith, sires”, stated Nico and bowed. “That's my partner, Joe Foxx. Believe me, we're capable of doing anything with that collar that you want, as long as it involves the work of a smith and jewel-maker. My mother is the royal supplier of gems, Hazel Zhang. Give me the size and I will find you the most beautiful rubies.”

“Hazel?”, asked Donny intrigued. “My father's cousin, uncle Pluto's daughter?”

Pluto had been the younger brother of Hades, but with Hades being the heir to the throne and after Hades, Hades' only son ascending to the throne, Pluto had assigned himself with a different task. He had become the supplier of gems and minerals and metals at a young age and had widened the mines of their lands, making Itannwn the most important exporter of those. Pluto had died years ago though, but Donny's father had told him that Pluto's daughter had taken over. The younger daughters of Hazel were part of the royal court, working as handmaidens to Donny's siblings.

“Tell your parents to drop by for dinner some time, I'm sure my father would be happy to have his only cousin around again”, offered Donny with a smile. “Now, about that collar. Uhm...”

“That is a generous offer, my prince”, mumbled Nico surprised and bowed again. “The collar?”

“Enough with the I'm-the-cutest-and-nicest-prince-around-routine. I'm hungry”, declared Derek annoyed, putting the collar away into a bag. “Hurry up some, pretty princess.”

“You seriously need to work on your attitude”, muttered Donny amused and followed him.

 

/break\

 

Sam was actually feeling content for the first time since he had gone into the possession of Trader Leroy. He was laying in a hot tub, soaking in a bubble-bath smelling so deliciously like milk and honey – there were actual milk and honey in his bath even, which he found a little weird. Other herbs too that smelt very girly, which he didn't appreciate that much, but the pretty brunette girl called Phyl had told him it was 'tradition'. The herbs were supposed to heighten his fertility, they were standard for carriers. Honestly, Sam didn't care anymore as long as he could enjoy hot baths like those. It was so relaxing and nice. It also helped that Derek and Trend were gone. Shopping with Sander's prince or something like that. Not that he cared, as long as their eyes finally stopped staring at him so intensely and they wouldn't be here to fuss over him.

“Sam? Are you okay in there?”, asked Phyl from outside, knocking on the bathroom door.

Sam groaned annoyed. “I still didn't drown in here, girl. Mo dhía, Phyl, I don't need a babysitter.”

“Mo dhía?”, repeated Phyl surprised. “I think I've heard that language before.”

“Probably. Whatever”, grunted Sam with a shrug. “Go and leave me alone now. Please.”

Phyl on the other side of the door heaved a sigh and left. Sam didn't want to talk with some stranger about his past and home. Getting out of the tub, he started to dry himself off and dressed in the fresh robes Phyl had supplied him with. He got dizzy and stumbled a little when he left the bathroom. Although what the king and the blonde had said was true after all, the tea had helped him with his pain, the cramps had finally lessened. He was still not feeling very well though. Moaning softly, he sat down when another wave of dizziness hit him. Mh, this was soft. Comfortable. Maybe just a little rest. Rest sounded like a good idea. Curling together on the soft surface, he fell asleep.

“Is he okay? He doesn't look okay. He's quite pale”, was what woke him up next.

Frowning confused, he blinked his eyes open to face his new master and the blonde that seemed attached to the young king's side. Suddenly, the king leaned in, too far for Sam's comfort.

“Hey there”, greeted Derek, looking deep into Sam's eyes. “You were passed out in our bed.”

Sam's eyes widened embarrassed. He had fallen asleep in his new master's bed, after all the fight he had put up so far, this must look like some kind of invitation. Stupid, weak body.

“Hold still there a second”, ordered Derek firmly, startling Sam.

The slave nodded stiffly and obeyed. He wasn't sure what would follow. Had he broken an order, since the king had told him to stay in his own room? He knew too little of this king to know how serious he took those things. Nervously, he closed his eyes tightly. A lock clicked and a weight was lifted off his neck. His heart started racing in fear. Derek had taken the collar off. That... meant Derek had changed his mind. He didn't want Sam anymore after all. Despite his claim, he felt oddly disappointed. Somehow, the king's behavior and Sander's words had made him... hopeful. But tending to a damaged slave, one who seemed unable to follow orders, who fell asleep on his master's bed even though that had not been his assigned sleep-place. There were two ways this could go now. Unwanted slaves were either returned to their traders, or just put down like a horse with a broken leg. Sam prayed for death. Anything but being returned to Leroy. Even if this king would have broken his promise and took what he wanted, it would have been better than with Leroy probably. Everything would be better than being with Leroy again. His jaw tightened and he squeezed his eyes shut even more in fear of having to go back to Leroy.

“Please just kill me”, whispered Sam, feeling a single tear slipping out.

Derek turned around confused. He had just walked over to his table to place the heavy collar there and fetch the new one. But now that he looked back at his pretty carrier, he felt like he had done something wrong. Sam was _crying_ and he looked so small and scared. Concerned, Derek hurried back to the bed and knelt down between Sam's legs, his hands on Sam's knees to support himself.

“Hey, what's wrong, sweetheart? What are you talking about?”, asked Derek confused.

Trend grunted confused, putting the bags aside and joining his lover. This was the first time Sam showed anything aside from anger and bitterness. Was this the side Derek had been seeing in the boy all along? The vulnerable, soft side that was in dire need of someone comforting, loving and protecting him? Because that was what Sam was evoking in Trend right now.

“Just kill me. Don't send me back to Leroy, please don't send me back to him”, begged Sam and opened his eyes, desperately staring at Derek. “If you don't want me anymore, just end it a—and don't send me back to Leroy, I can't go back there, please don't make me go there!”

“Sweetheart, what makes you think we're going to give you away?”, cooed Derek worried.

“Y—You... took the collar off...”, mumbled Sam and gulped.

“Oh...”, grunted Derek with a frown and turned toward Trend, who walked back to the bags and got the new collar, handing it to Derek. “No, sweetheart. Not because I want to give you back, precious. The collar is heavy and uncomfortable, don't think I didn't notice you shifting uncomfortably. That aside, this silly thing was something a servant put on you, but I want you to wear _my_ collar. So I went and bought you something pretty that marks you as mine. That's why I took the collar off, so I can replace it with your new collar. Will you calm down now, please?”

Sam felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. He was acting ridiculous and pathetic and he hated it, but the mere thought of having to go back to Leroy send him into a panic. He'd rather stay here, or anywhere really. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down again. He visibly relaxed once the new collar was fastened around his neck, much to Trend's amusement.

“Look here, sweetheart”, whispered Derek, keeping his voice soft and calm as he held up a hand-mirror to show Sam the new collar. “See? That's my family's crest right there on the tag.”

“I know”, whispered Sam back, barely audible.

Derek nodded thoughtful at that. The language Sam had spoken before, knowledge of the crest of Fólannia. He knew there was something different about Sam, something he was hiding, but Derek could not yet put a finger on it. Perhaps if he'd get behind Sam's origins, he could.

“Tell me your name, sweetheart”, prompted Derek in a soft yet serious voice.

“Sam”, stated Sam very confused. “But you already know that... your grace.”

“Yes, we do”, laughed Derek amused. “But I mean, what... kind of Sam are you? It's short for _something_ , isn't it? Are you a Samir, or a Samson, or an Isam. Samu, or Sampo, maybe Samwise.”

“Samuel”, clarified Sam, still unsure where this conversation was going.

“Samuel”, repeated Derek, tasting the name on his tongue. “A strong name. Very... typical for my realm. Tell me where you're from, Samuel. You _are_ from my kingdom, aren't you?”

Sam nodded shyly and averted his eyes, clearly done with the topic. Trend noticed that too. Walking closer, he put his one hand beneath Sam's knees and the other onto Sam's back, easily lifting the slave up and pressing him against his chest. Sam glared a little at the treatment.

“Don't give me that look, Samuel”, warned Trend unimpressed. “You weren't fine enough to walk the whole way to your bed after your bath, so let me carry you. And then rest some more.”

Sam heaved a sigh and accepted it for now. His right hand wandered subconsciously to his new collar, tracing the crest of his home. Old and new alike. It was kind of a relief to know that he would return to the country he had been born in. He had seen many places by now and he had disliked most of them, to be honest. The collar was beautiful and looked quite expensive. Did that really mean that the king had been serious? Would Derek really keep him, truly be... patient?

 

/break\

 

Sander was sitting on the balcony, watching from above in total awe how the Royal Guard trained under the supervision of the two head-knights Jason and Luke. He was completely mesmerized by the accuracy of the knights, their fine clothes, their weapons, their seriousness.

“You've been just sitting there and watching for hours now”, commented the queen amused.

Sander startled and jumped a little. He blushed embarrassed as the highly pregnant queen casually sat down next to him. Hastily, he averted his eyes, unsure if he was _allowed_ to look at the queen.

“Uhm, hello, your highness”, mumbled Sander uncertain.

“Would you be interested in joining them for training?”, asked Percy curiously.

“I—I can't. I'm a slave, sire”, stated Sander wide-eyed.

“But you'd want to”, observed Percy with a mischievous grin.

“Y—Yes, sire”, nodded Sander and turned to look back at the knights. “We... We traveled a lot with Trader Leroy and I always admired the different knights, the defenders of the castles.”

“You'd look dashing in armor”, stated Donny as he approached them, startling Sander once more.

“My prince! You're back!”, exclaimed Sander, instantly relaxing and brightening.

Percy smiled to himself at that. Sander had been nervous and on edge, uncomfortable, but with Donny around, he seemed completely content. And Donny looked very happy too. Looking Sander up and down, he noted the fit physique of the young boy. Since Donny didn't need a servant, perhaps there was somewhere else where they could put him to use. With that thought in mind, Percy got up to talk to his husband, leaving Donny and Sander alone in the garden.

“I'm sorry I couldn't take you with me”, said Donny softly after a moment. “It was just, well... A day with my best friend and my little brother. I hope you had a nice day too, though.”

“Mhm”, nodded Sander slowly. “I missed you, my prince. The palace is nicer with you.”

Donny blushed a little at that and shifted, fingers tracing the collar hidden in his pocket. “We were on the market. Next time, you and me will go together. I... I bought you something, Sander.”

“You shouldn't get me presents, my prince”, stated Sander with a concerned frown.

“Oh, no, no. It's an... appropriate present”, clarified Donny and lifted the collar up. “See? I thought you... may like it. It's our kingdom's crest, it marks you as property of the royal family. As, well... mine. Because you are. And no one is allowed to take you away from here or harm you. Really.”

Sander's face was brightly flustered as his gorgeous prince laid the pretty collar around his neck, all up close. Their chests were pressed against each other as Donny had his arms around Sander's shoulders, standing on his toes to reach up and close the collar. A collar! A really pretty and kinda expensive-looking collar. A collar that said that he was Donny's. That was a real relief. He knew, deep down, that Donny hadn't put a collar on him because Donny wanted to treat him like a human being and not like property, but Sander was a slave and it made him nervous not to be marked as Donny's. He was afraid that some other trader would capture him when he wasn't with Donny and that he would be sold away, or that someone else would punish him for disobedience or something.

“T—Thank you, my prince”, mumbled Sander flustered. “It's very beautiful.”

“Only the best for you”, grinned Donny delighted. “So you like it?”

“Yes, very much”, nodded Sander hastily, turning large eyes on his prince.

Donny bit his lips hard at the image of Sander wearing his collar. The brunette looked even more amazing now, somehow. He offered his slave a small smile and turned to walk to his chambers again, knowing fully well that Sander was following him. The handsome brunette was already behaving like a well-trained puppy, but with the collar, he looked even more like one. The thought of a puppy-version of Sander made Donny giggle delighted.

“Is... there something funny, my prince?”, asked Sander confused.

“No, no. Just... my thoughts and all”, replied Donny and shook his head. “Come and let's check on Sam. We bought some special medicine on the market too, let's see if it helped any.”

“Thank you”, smiled Sander softly. “For being so kind and helping my friend.”

“There really is no need to thank me, Sander”, stated Donny and shook his head.

But Sander disagreed. There was every need to be grateful to the kind and wonderful prince.


	8. The Royal Picnic

_Chapter 8: The Royal Picnic_

 

About two more days passed with Sam on bed-rest and with Trend and Derek fussing over him. Whenever Sam wanted to take a bath, Trend _insisted_ on carrying him to the bathroom and back to bed. At least they let him have privacy in the bathroom. They brought him food – good and delicious food, not what slaves normally ate. They also gave him medicine that really helped. And he found himself slowly starting to trust them, even though he didn't want to. But they treated him so kind and with so much patience. It _had_ to mean that they cared, right? Taking a deep breath, he walked out of his room, but stayed still about half-way between the door and the king's bed. Derek and Trend were cuddled up together, Derek tracing Trend's sixpack while Trend was reading a book. Sam had already noticed that, aside from making out, this seemed to be their favorite pastime. Sam remained silent until they noticed him. He _hated_ the whole submissive, obedient and devoted act, but right now, he wanted something from his master, so he had to act the part to get it.

“Sweetheart”, noted Derek surprised when he noticed Sam. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“I'm fine”, muttered Sam embarrassed, averting his eyes nervously. “I... I want to go outside, please. I'm fine, really. I haven't had any cramps or pains in over a day now! You said I could go out, if you'd go too. _Please_ let me go outside, I'm going nuts staying in that room all day. Please, master?”

Trend cocked one eyebrow. Sam must be very desperate to get fresh air if he willingly called Derek 'master'. Then again, the blonde understood it. Sam had to stay in bed for five days now, it would have even driven him crazy. Sitting up some, he pulled Derek close by the neck.

“King Nico and Queen Percy invited us to the lagoon for the afternoon, let's take him with us”, whispered Trend softly into his lover's ear. “Fresh air can't hurt him and he does look better.”

Derek frowned unsure. He didn't want to risk another relapse, the last time Sam had overdone it had scared the hell out of Derek. But looking into those desperate, green eyes, Derek found it impossible to say no. Nodding slowly, the king got out of bed.

“We're having a picnic with the di Angelos. They have a gorgeous waterfall and lagoon hidden away on the castle's property. Can you swim, sweetheart?”, questioned Derek curiously.

“Yes, sir”, nodded Sam, growing excited. “Does... that mean Sander will come too?”

“Since Donny will come, yes”, snorted Derek ridiculed. “And they're attached by the hips.”

Sam beamed at that and it really was a beautiful expression on the carrier. Derek smiled a little, tugging on Trend's hand. The blonde found himself mesmerized by happy Sam, that was something he could get used to. Straightening up, Trend motioned for Sam to follow them.

“Come on, we're running late due to Derek's laziness anyway”, chuckled the blonde. “Come here.”

Sam hastily obeyed and blushed a little when the handsome blonde laid one arm around his waist, guiding him out of the door. He had gotten a tour of the palace itself, but half-way through it the pain had been too strong and he hadn't gotten to see the outside yet, so he watched wide-eyed as Trend and Derek led him through a beautiful flower garden and toward a large lagoon. The royal family was already comfortably spread all around the place. The teenaged twins Thess and Percy Junior were swimming in the water, while the younger twins Jimmy and Silly were building a sandcastle at the little beach-like shore. On a heap of large and comfortable cushions were King Nico, Queen Percy and their so far youngest, Prince Jack. Jack was cuddled up to his daddy, chatting and babbling to his mommy's stomach, telling the unborn baby how eager he was to meet his new sibling. Derek grinned amused by that image.

“Hello, King Nico, Queen Percy. Thanks for having us”, smiled Derek in greeting.

Percy struggled a little to sit up, curious to see Sam. He had yet to properly meet the boy.

“So nice to have you”, retorted the queen with a nod. “Derek, Trend, if you wouldn't mind, Donny and Sander are still getting the last food, could you help them?”

Derek and Trend frowned confused and exchanged a look, but it would be impolite to disobey their host's request. They left Sam in the care of the king and queen and after a moment, Nico caught on with what Percy wanted. Taking Jack by the armpits, he declared that they would be helping Jimmy and Silly with their sandcastle. Sam shifted uncomfortably, staring suspiciously and quite obviously at Percy's pregnant belly. The queen chuckled amused and patted the pillows next to him.

“Sit down, boy. Don't make a highly pregnant man stand up to have an eye-to-eye conversation”, stated Percy, half amused, half firm. “I've been looking forward to this conversation, Sam.”

“Y—You're the queen”, mumbled Sam confused. “Why do you want to talk to me, sire?”

“Because I've not always been the queen”, replied Percy softly. “I once was just like you.”

“I highly doubt that”, snorted Sam ridiculed and averted his eyes.

Percy looked around for a moment to make sure they truly were alone. “Then you're mistaken. I see the way you carry yourself. Not like a commoner or a slave, but like a royal. My father was a minor lord of the Atlantic Islands, I'm not sure if you have ever heard of them. When it was discovered that I am a carrier, they took me away from my parents as a young child.”

“I've not been the kid of some fancy lord or anything, but... not a farm boy either, yes. Don't tell anyone”, muttered Sam with a frown. “I'm not the person anymore that I used to be. I'm a slave now, what I once was doesn't matter, that person doesn't exist any longer.”

Percy nodded slowly, with a sad look in his eyes, because he understood. “I'm sorry for what the trader did to you and I understand the pain it caused you – I  _understand_ it – but don't project it onto King Derek. I know it's asking much, but... When I was in your position, I did the same thing. I was afraid of men, of touch and I hated Nico for what the trader had done to me. I've wasted precious months with pitying myself and hating everything. Maybe I needed the time to heal, but it still feels like it just slipped away from me. It's hard, but you have to see them as who they are and not who you expect them to be. They might surprise you. I sure know that Nico surprised me and he played a big part in Derek's education. The boy is not like others, he learned to respect our kind, to see us carriers as humans too. He's best friends with my son, who is a carrier himself.”

“The ridiculous one”, snorted Sam to himself, before noticing Percy's look and blushing. “I—I'm sorry, your highness, I didn't mean to insult the prince, it's just-”

“I know. Donny told me about your not so fine first impression of him”, chuckled Percy. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you don't like my son, you don't have to spend time with him. But I can assure you that he meant well, he always means well. He tried to help you, even if it may not seem like help to you. After this past week now, tell me one thing. Do you truly still believe that he didn't change your life for the better by bringing you to Derek, away from the trader?”

Sam remained silent for a long moment, which was all the answer Percy needed. “Is it... is it always so bad...? Does it always h—hurt so much, when t—they...  _do_ it?”

That was about the time that Sander, Donny, Trend and Derek returned with blankets, more pillows and lots of food. But since Sam had his back toward them, he hadn't noticed yet. Derek found himself quite curious what the conversation was about so he listened in while setting everything for their picnic. It was pretty quiet up here, away from the water and the loud kids, so it was easy for Derek and the other three to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two carriers.

“No, gods no”, exclaimed Percy and shook his head hastily. “I... know how much it hurt, but that's not how it has to be, I can promise you that. It still hurts a little, but believe me, with the right man, it will feel so incredibly good that the little pain there is won't even matter to you anymore.”

“A—And... how... does this feel? I mean, there's a tiny person inside of you”, asked Sam next, sounding unsure as he stared at Percy's stomach. “Doesn't it freak you out...?”

“It... did the first time around, when I was pregnant with my daughter Bianca Maria”, confessed Percy with a slow nod. “But this right now is my sixth pregnancy and... You can't understand what it feels like until you're pregnant yourself, Sam. You are the sole caretaker and provider for this little, defenseless life that completely depends on you. You carry your own child and when you first hold your baby in your arms, look into those large, innocent eyes... I don't know if you want to believe me this, but _that_ moment is worth every pain and tear that came before.”

Another short period of silence followed, as though Sam was mulling his words over. “But carriers aren't allowed to raise their children. I've seen it before, I know it, that they take the babies away, let nursemaids raise the 'normal' ones and sell the carriers back into slavery. W—Why... are you different? Why are you allowed to be an actual mother? A  _queen_ even.”

“Because Nico loves me”, replied Percy firmly. “He is my master, my king and my true love.”

“Right”, snorted Sam in disbelieve. “A king doesn't fall in love with a carrier.”

“Is that what you're afraid of?”, asked Percy, his voice soft and tender. “That you will never find love, that Derek will take your children away from you?”

“I don't care about love”, stated Sam firmly. “I accepted the fact that I'll never get to chose who to be with when I was small, because my mom told me what I was. But... Yes. Yes, I'm afraid that I'll never get to hold my baby, because my mom was the best mother ever and I always wanted... to be like her, as good a mother as she was. But I'm even more afraid that they'll take my baby away for good, because he will be like me. T—That because of me, my child would end up in captivity like I did, with someone like Leroy... T—That... my son may suffer the way I did.”

“I think we both know that whatever I say, those fears won't dissolve. And they won't, not until you hold your firstborn for the first time and get to keep her or him”, replied Percy concerned. “But let me tell you my story, mh? My firstborn was a girl, a beautiful little girl. She's a great warrior by now. But my second child, Donny... When the healers confirmed that he was a carrier, I was so afraid they would take him. Even though Nico and I were already married by then and I had been crowned as queen, but even I couldn't picture that Nico would bend the laws any more. But when he looked into Donny's large, green eyes and kissed his adorably chubby cheeks, I knew. I knew that Nico didn't just love me, he loved our family and he would rather die than let anyone tear us apart. I can not promise you that you will find someone who will go through all those ordeals, but... I _wish_ for it for you and if you ever need someone to talk to, if... you're ever uncomfortable with Derek, you can always come to me. I like the boy and I believe that he will be good to you, but if you ever feel different about this, I'll be on your side, Sam. You're not alone.”

“Thank you, your highness”, murmured Sam, unsure what to do now.

But Percy took that decision from him by pulling him into a hug. “You're welcome, kiddo. Now come, I'm starving and I have to eat for two. Help the stranded whale up, will you?”

There was a mischievous spark in Percy's eyes as the younger carrier helped him up and over to the picnic place where everyone else was already gathered. Nico was covered in sand as he sat down next to his queen, leaning over to kiss Percy softly. Jack hurried to squeeze in between his parents.

“We build a large, large castle! It was all awesome!”, declared Jack happily.

“That's great, baby boy”, smiled Percy and caressed his son's hair. “You think so too, kids?”

“Uhu, Jackie found a pretty shell for over the door”, smiled Silly proudly, snuggling up to him.

“Yes, mommy. It's a pretty princess castle, just for Silly”, grinned Jimmy brightly, next to Nico.

“Now, where are your big siblings...?”, asked Percy concerned and looked around.

“Thess and Percy sneaked away with Luke and Kitty about ten minutes ago”, stated Donny.

“Well, then it's only us”, hummed Nico with a critical glare. “I hope you guys can eat a lot.”

“Uhu”, nodded Sander and licked his lips, drooling over all the delicious foods.

Sam frowned from where he still stood awkwardly around. King Derek, Trend and Donny were sitting together in a half-circle opposite Nico, Percy, Jack, Jimmy and Silly, forming a full circle sitting like that. And Sander, he was sitting between Donny and Jimmy. Together will all those royals, like he belonged there. Trend, yes, since he was Derek's lover and the king of this country seemed quite accepting of that fact, but a  _slave_ ? After all, Trend at least was an adviser.

“Come here, sweetheart”, ordered Derek and motioned next to Trend. “Our food is getting cold.”

“Y—Yes, sire”, nodded Sam unsure, slowly walking over to Trend.

He reluctantly sat down between Trend and the young princess with the blue pearls braided into her long, black hair. She was pretty and she  _really_ looked like a princess. When Sam sat down next to her, her attention turned away from her mother to look at the new arrival.

“Hello”, piped the girl in, waving a little. “I'm Silly, but I'm not silly, is just short for Silena.”

“Hello Silly-not-silly”, grinned Sam, earning a giggle from the child. “I'm Sam, and that's short for Samuel. It's very nice to meet you. You know, I've never met a real princess before and you're way prettier than any princess I ever heard about in a fairy tale.”

Silly giggled even more and blushed a little. “Thank you! And what are you? You look like a knight! Can you slay dragons? Why are you here? Do you belong with Prince Der-Der?”

“It's King Der-Der now”, corrected Derek mock-serious. “And Sam is... like your mom.”

“Oh!”, exclaimed Silly wide-eyed, turning to look at Sam's belly. “Do you have a baby in you too?”

“N—No”, mumbled Sam embarrassed. “Not... yet anyway, kiddo. Say, are you excited about your baby sibling? Because your little brother over there seems very excited.”

“Jackie wants to be a big brother too”, nodded Silly with a frown. “But I already am, because I have Jackie. I hope it's a girl, I could dress her up and we could be best sisters, like Bia and Percy!”

“That sounds nice”, nodded Sam with a smile, amused by the little child.

 

/break\

 

Sander was more than happy once he had devoured a large portion of the picnic and he was even happier when he was playing water-ball with Jack, Donny and Jimmy. The youngest was the most enthusiastic and he was just so adorable. Jimmy was a tiny badass and that was pretty cute too.

“You're the one, right?”, asked Jack eagerly after a little while. “You're Donny's Hood!”

The question had been burning on Jack's chest ever since the picnic had started. The funny brunette next to his big brother simply _had_ to be Donny's Hood and Jack had died to meet him.

“I don't understand?”, asked Sander confused, turning toward Donny.

“Jack has two Hoods”, stated Jimmy seriously. “They're slaves too, kinda. They're twins, like me and Silly, but their mommy and daddy died and they had to go to an orphanage and then they ran away because there were bad people and they stole stuff to eat and Jack saw how a man tried to cut their hands off for stealing, but Jack doesn't like that. So mom and dad bought them.”

“They're orphans and our parents took them in after paying the salesman off for dropping the charges against the boys. They're being trained to be Jack's bodyguards”, added Donny.

“They're mine and they protect me and make me laugh and play with me!”, exclaimed Jack, waving his arms around widely. “They're the most awesome things ever and I think everyone should have a Hood like mine and Donny said you're his Hood too, because he found you on the market and took you with him here because a bad man hurt you! Will you protect my big brother too?”

“I... Yeah, sure”, nodded Sander slowly, embarrassed. “He's been so nice to me ever since I met him, I won't let anyone hurt him. I'll protect your big brother.”

“That's good”, nodded Jimmy pleased while Donny blushed.

“Oh! Oh, look! My Hoods!”, exclaimed Jack excitedly, pointing at two little brunettes hiding behind a tree. “Jimmy, do you wanna play hide and seek with them? Please?”

With that, the two young princes dashed out of the lagoon and toward the other two young boys, leaving Donny and Sander alone. Donny offered the other boy a shy smile. He was glad that Sander seemed to loosen up a little. At first, he had acted very stiff around the royal family, but now he naturally took to playing with the younger di Angelos.

“When I saw you with my mom the other day, you guys were talking about the knights, right?”, asked Donny casually, blinking curiously. “Is that something that interests you?”

He had tried to find something that Sander enjoyed for days now, but the brunette was so timid, he really thought he didn't deserve something from the prince. But Donny didn't like that Sander just followed him all day. Not that he disliked having Sander with him, but that wasn't a life. He wanted for Sander to do something that he liked, for himself.

“Knights are great. They protect the people and they're strong and confident and everybody adores them. I just... always wanted that too. The admiration. N—Not because I want the attention, but I've always been a slave and people barely even look at me, just once I want people to be happy to see me, to look forward to me being there”, murmured Sander, looking sad.

“I'm happy when I see you and so is Sam”, stated Donny, trying to cheer Sander up.

“I... yeah...”, nodded Sander slowly, smiling a little.

Donny bit his lips. He really wanted to help Sander fulfill that dream, but only someone with royal blood could become a knight. The child of a lord of sorts, at the very least. Sander couldn't join the training otherwise. The only reason why Jack's Hoods had been allowed to join the knights was because Sir Connor and Sir Travis had adopted them, both knights themselves.

 

/break\

 

Derek and Trend were sitting on the stone-seats in the lagoon, watching how Sam was building additional parts of the sandcastle together with Princess Silly. Sam even laughed as he played with the child, the first time Derek and Trend saw him being really carefree. Only when Silly ran off to play hide and seek with her twin and the other boys did Derek and Trend approach Sam.

“You're good with kids”, stated Derek with a small smile, sitting down next to Sam.

“Carrier instincts”, huffed Sam and shrugged, decidedly not looking at the king.

“I know you're not going to believe me, just like you still don't believe me about not forcing you to have sex with me, but I'm going to say it nonetheless”, started Derek, leaning back some and staring up into the clouds. “I am not going to take any of our children away from you, sweetheart. When, and yes I'm still convinced that it's a matter of 'when' and not 'if', you agree to having sex with me and when you'll carry my heir, then I am not going to take the baby away from you.”

“Give me one reason why I should believe you”, snorted Sam in disbelieve.

“My mother died in child-bed”, whispered Derek. “I grew up without a mother, but my father and King Nico were always quite close, so when we visited them or they visited us, I saw Queen Percy and the way he was with his children. I always envied Donny for having such a loving mother, because it was something I never got to experience when I was a child. I'd never want for my children to have to grow up without a mother. You can believe it or you don't, that's your decision.”

Sam turned to look at the king and regardless of how much he wanted to see a lie on Derek's face, there was so much raw pain from the loss and honesty that Sam just knew it to be true. The king was telling the truth, but that was just giving Sam more fake hope. This couldn't be true. He was just getting attached and hopeful, making the fall in the end harder and more painful.

 

/break\

 

“What were you two chatting about earlier?”, whispered Nico into Percy's ear.

He had his arms wrapped around his lover, hands resting on the pregnant belly. “Mh?”

“You and Sam. What were you telling him?”, asked Nico curiously.

“Just trying to ease his nerves a little. The scars are still too fresh”, murmured Percy with a shrug. “But I know he can have a good life with Derek and Trend. For that, he needs to take a chance and trust though. I'm trying to get through to him. The poor kid has been through enough, he needs to catch a break. And have you seen the way he was with Silly earlier? He will be a great mother one day and with a little guidance, he may even become a great queen...”

“And I know just the queen to provide that guidance”, teased Nico amused, kissing Percy's cheek.

“What can I say? Another kingdom with a carrier as queen may help us all”, shrugged Percy with a far-off look in his eyes. “One day, maybe I won't live to see it, but I hope that one day, all carriers can find love like I did and be... equals. Is that asking too much?”

“No, my love, it's not”, assured Nico, hugging Percy tighter. “It is not...”

 

/break\

 

The day had been exhausting and after a lot of swimming and laughing and playing, Sam was laying sprawled all over his bed, staring curiously at his master and the blonde. The two were all cuddled up again, like every night. Sure, Sam had seen a lot of heated making out between them, but most of the times it were more the romantic gestures. They weren't just screwing for release, they were in love and when Sam saw then snuggling like this, Sam wanted that too.

“Urgh”, grunted Derek as he looked over Trend's shoulder and out of the high windows. “Another typical summer storm in Itannwn. Why can't they have better weather?”

“I find the rain very relaxing”, commented Trend, turning a page, reading over Derek's shoulder.

The sound of the rain hitting was really loud, now that Sam listened for it. Listening for it was a mistake, because the calming sound of rain was suddenly disturbed by loud thunder. Where Sam was from, rain was pretty usual, but thunder and lightning were quite rare. In fact, Sam had ever only witnessed perhaps two or three thunderstorms. The sudden loud noise startled him so much that he couldn't keep the whimper in. He cursed in his head for it. Thunderstorms had always scared him, because where he was from, they said that it was the growling of god's anger. When they had traveled with the trader, Sam had encountered a real tropical thunderstorm and it had scared him out of his mind. He just couldn't control his childhood fear resurfacing. Leroy didn't like weakness, or unnecessary ruckus. It had been one of the worst beatings, which only made Sam's fear stronger, because in his mind, thunderstorms were by now linked to the pain.

“Sweetheart? What's wrong?”, asked Derek concerned when he heard the faint sound.

“N—Nothing, sire, really not”, replied Sam hastily, shaking his head wildly.

Trend sat up, cocking one eyebrow. “Don't lie, Samuel. You look like a cornered animal.”

“I—I'm just... scared of... thunder”, muttered Sam embarrassed. “I know I'm too old for that, but...”

“Fódhlandrasta doesn't have a lot of storms”, concluded Derek with a short nod, grinning when he noticed Sam's stunned expression. “Your accent. I finally figured out where exactly you're from.”

Fódhlandrasta was one of the three large islands of Derek's kingdom, a beautiful green patch that Derek was particularly fond of. “I'm from a little town named Èirepona...”

“That's not far from Erighrá where my summer castle is located”, noted Derek curiously, leaning against Trend's chest and watching Sam flinch from another thunder. “Now come here, cutie.”

“Mh?”, grunted Sam confused, curling together some more. “W—Why...?”

“Stay with us for the night, we'll protect you”, smiled Derek, lifting his blanket. “Come, no one is going to hurt you, sweetheart. But you'll be safe with us. And the bed is big enough.”

Sam had no idea what compelled him to do it, but he stood and by the time the next lightning lit up the sky, Sam practically dived into the bed, disappearing under the blanket and between Trend and Derek. It took some coaxing, but Sam reluctantly crawled up to lay properly between them.

“Is... this okay...?”, asked Sam unsure, but then found himself pressed against Trend's chest.

The blonde had one arm around him, caressing his side in a soothing manner. Derek snuggled up to them too, his arms around Sam's waist as he was pressed against the carrier's back.

“It's perfect, sweetheart. Try sleeping a bit, we'll protect you”, whispered Derek, kissing Sam's neck.


	9. Desires for Royalty

_Chapter 9: Desires for Royalty_

 

The bed that had been like heaven when he had first slept in it because it was not the hard floor of a cage suddenly felt cold and hard and uncomfortable. But it had only been one night that he had slept in the king's bed, so why did his 'own' bed suddenly feel so strange? Yesterday, during the storm, he had sneaked into the king's bed because the king had told him so, had wanted to 'make him feel safe'. He hadn't believed it, had expected to at the very least get groped and molested, but Derek's arms had stayed above Sam's waistline, just hugging him close from behind, nothing more. And it had felt safe, just like Trend's embrace as Sam had his head resting on the blonde's strong chest. For the first time in far too long did Sam feel truly safe. And today, only one night later, did he feel cold and lonely and hated laying in this bed. He wanted back into the other bed, the softer, more comfortable bed, with the muscular pillow and the clingy, cuddly blanket. So right now he was still wide awake, even though it was late at night. He was staring at the ceiling in boredom.

“I _really_ want you. Right now, Trend”, whispered a voice from the other room.

Sam had to strain his ears to listen in, because the couple was trying to be silent. There was shifting and in the pale light of the moon, Sam could see that Derek was straddling Trend's waist.

“Der, Sam is just next door”, whispered Trend back, arms around Derek's waist.

“That's the problem”, groaned Derek annoyed. “You know how much my dick hurt this morning, waking up with his body curved against me like that? He's really giving me blue balls here. I need release, babe. He makes me so freaking horny, it's not funny anymore.”

“The way you put it, you're aching to top”, stated Trend neutrally.

“I know you hate bottoming, I'm not gonna make you”, sighed Derek. “Just give me a blowjob, please? I just really need to come inside something warm. Please, Trend.”

“You're something else alright”, laughed Trend softly. “You're the _king_. You could order me to bottom, you don't even have to say 'please' and ask for a blowjob, you could demand it.”

“Yeah, and I could just walk over to the other room and fuck Sam's brains out. But I don't, because I don't need to force others to have sex with me. So do you want to keep discussing this with me or will you do something more useful with your mouth?”, grunted Derek annoyed.

Trend rolled them over so Derek came to lay on the bed, with Trend between his legs. “He's really doing a number on you, Derek. Then again, you've always been... easily charmed...”

“Easily charmed?”, huffed Derek, interrupting himself with a moan when Trend's lips wrapped around his aching hardness. “Oh yes, that's good... Right. It's got nothing to do with me being easily charmed. Ha—ave you looked at his perfect, heart-shaped ass? A—ah.... Oh yes. I just... keep picturing him beneath me, he's so freaking beautiful...”

Trend hummed non-comically around the cock in his mouth. Sam was blushing furiously as he watched them. The way Derek arched his back, how Trend moved and mouthed the king's cock. How could those two so casually talk about how much _he_ turned them on? And then have oral sex? Why would they do this? Why would the king rather get a blowjob from Trend if, just as Trend had just pointed out, the king could easily take what he wanted from either of them. That the king respected that Trend apparently didn't enjoy bottoming, that he wouldn't go up to Sam and just take him, since Sam was his property... No, instead the king was content with getting a blowjob.

“Oh, you're so good, babe”, moaned Derek softly, biting his wrist to keep from being too loud.

Sam gulped and bit his lips as he felt himself hardening. The two over in the other room painted such a delicious picture and the sounds were quite inspiring too. It aroused Sam and that was sort of mortifying too, because didn't that mean he was having... desires for those two?

Nevertheless, Sam was hard and felt the urge for release himself. Biting his lips, he sneaked one hand beneath his robes and grabbed his hardness. He watched the couple for only half the ride, before closing his eyes and drifting off to an entirely different scenario. He could do that too, having his lips around Derek's cock, earning himself those sounds from their king. He was sure his master would praise him for doing good once he came. And that was the really weird thing, because Sam wanted that praise and just imagining it nearly made Sam come, coupled with the muffled moans from next door. The other two seemed to have finished, by the sound of it.

Derek, in the middle of coming down from his orgasm-high, heard a low whimper and turned around to the strange sound. Frowning confused, he looked at Trend. The blonde pressed a finger to his lips as both turned their attention to the other room. Soft moans, like Sam wasn't even aware he was doing those. Which he wasn't, because by now he was too far into the phantasy of sucking his king off while the handsome blonde was putting his mouth to good use, showering Sam with kisses. A little whimper was the only thing accompanying Sam's orgasm as he made himself come.

“Did he just jerk-off while peeping on us?”, mouthed Derek surprised.

Trend grinned amused and nodded, combing his fingers through Derek's hair. It seemed that Derek was already closer to his goal than previously suspected. Derek hummed and sat up some, watching how Sam curled together in himself, cursing slightly. Probably wondering what to do with the mess he most likely just made. Derek grinned to himself. Such a little cutie.

“Sweetheart?”, called Derek out, with a certain teasing to his voice. “If you want, you can go and... get cleaned up, you know. You don't have to sleep in your... mess.”

Sam's breath hitched as he slowly crawled out of the bed. He grew more nervous as he walked into the master bedroom, head lowered, hands playing with one another. Derek frowned confused.

“I—I'm sorry, master”, whispered Sam, his voice barely audible.

“What for, sweetheart?”, asked the king tenderly, scooting closer.

“Don't make me say it”, sighed Sam, feeling incredibly humiliated.

“Well, you gotta explain yourself so we know what you're talking about”, chuckled Derek amused.

“I'm... sorry for... for touching your property”, gritted Sam out between clenched teeth, hands flexing next to his body. “J—Just... make it quick, please. The... p—punishment.”

It took Trend and Derek a moment to progress what Sam was talking about and Derek made a stunned sound. “You're not serious, right? You don't _really_ think that I'll punish you for jerking off?”

“I... know the drill”, muttered Sam, crossing his arms over his chest. “I'm your property. _No one_ is allowed to touch your carrier as long as you don't allow it. Including, well, the carrier himself...”

Derek frowned, partly annoyed. “You're right, I guess. You are mine and no one is allowed to touch you. But since I told you that I won't touch you before you beg me for it, I think it would be unfair to forbid you from touching yourself. That's like pressuring you into having sex with me, since it leaves you begging me for it as the only option for release. And that's not the way I want it. So, let's be clear that from now on, until the day you actually, truly and fully become _mine_ , you're very much allowed to touch yourself, sweetheart. Once you agree to bedding me, that will be revoked, because once you're mine in bed, me and Trend will be the _only ones_ to pleasure you, honey.”

Sam stared at him ridiculed and surprised, but he nodded nonetheless. “Thank you, master. But... still... I mean, I did it before you allowed me to, r—right?”

Derek huffed annoyed and opened his mouth to tell the pretty one off and assure him that he didn't have anything to fear, but then Trend interrupted him by pushing Derek back some. Glaring at his adviser and lover, Derek wanted to know what the blonde was doing. Instead of explaining himself however, Trend turned his full attention onto the squirming and blushing slave.

“You're right. You broke a rule you obviously knew about”, nodded the blonde and sat down at the edge of the bed, patting his lap. “Come here and I'll punish you for your disobedience, Sammy.”

Derek growled darkly. “ _Samuel_ go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. _Now_.”

Sam jumped a foot high at the angry voice of his master, only torn for a split second before deciding that his owner's order overruled the order of his master's boyfriend. While Sam ran into the bathroom to do as his king requested, Derek hit Trend's chest hard.

“What do you think you're doing?”, hissed Derek angered. “The pretty one has been through enough already and after all the pain he's been through, you want to put him through more?!”

“He _wants_ to be punished”, pointed Trend out, keeping his voice low. “He's testing his boundaries. He obviously knows the rules designed for his kind and he still decided to jerk off five meters from our bed. I think he _wanted_ to be caught. He wants to see what kind of punishment awaits him. He _is_ your slave, Derek. At one point along the way, punishments ensue. But he's afraid because of what he has been through. He'll never agree to an undetermined future. He wants and needs to know what to expect. Don't slack now and be gracious because you're feeling bad for him.”

Derek grumbled to himself, hating Trend's reasoning because he knew the blonde was right. Though Derek also knew that Sam was incredibly afraid of the kind of punishments the trader had inflicted on his slaves. After all, the king had seen Sander's back when they had been out at the lake yesterday. All the scars and only partly healed injuries.

“Sweetheart? Are you all done?”, called Derek, sounding defeated.

“Y—Yes, master”, replied Sam unsure as he reemerged from the bathroom. “W—What now?”

Derek frowned to himself. What now, indeed. Sam kept calling him 'master' which Derek had already figured out to be a defense mechanism of sorts. Sam only used it when he was very uncertain and didn't want to do anything wrong, when he wanted to appeal to Derek.

“Come here and lay on Trend's lap”, ordered the king softly. “You're right, precious one, you broke a rule and you get your punishment. You will _not_ get whipped. Ever. We'll never break skin or leave a permanent mark on your body when we punish you. You'll get spanked. The intensity of that depends on how much you anger me, darling.”

“Yes, master”, nodded Sam obediently, lowering his head again.

He slowly walked over to the couple and laid down square over Trend's lap, his breath labored in panic. Trend smiled softly down at the nervous brunette, hitching the robes up to pool around Sam's waist. Derek had his chin resting on Trend's shoulder, marveling at how gorgeous that naked butt was. A calloused, large hand ran up and down Sam's thighs slowly and soothingly.

“Calm down, little one”, whispered Trend tenderly. “Derek. How many does he get? You made it clear that _you_ decide what kind of punishment our little carrier gets.”

“I decide, you execute. I find that to be fair”, hummed Derek with a grin. “Ten. That's enough for now. After all, he didn't particularly provoke me or anything.”

Sam closed his eyes tightly and braced himself for... he had no idea for what. He knew painful and cruel punishments, he had been whipped harshly before, but _spanking_? It sounded ridiculous. Yet he still yelped as the large hand came down heavily on his ass. He jumped slightly, but Trend's other hand held him firmly in place. The next hit followed, still kind of unexpected. By the third hit, Sam felt himself slowly getting used to it. The fourth hit burned on his already abused-feeling ass. When Trend slapped his butt for a fifth time, Sam felt himself hardening, much to his own embarrassment. Why did it turn him on? The pain was not overly excessive like with Leroy, where he just wanted to run and hide. Instead, it was more of a pleasurable pain. Sam had never experienced such a thing before. He started panting when the sixth smack hit his aching flesh and much to his shame, the seventh even elected a small moan from him. Eight and nine had him rubbing his half-hard cock against Trend's leg needfully and when ten came down on his ass, he was panting hard.

“Sh, you did good, babe”, cooed Derek softly and cradled Sam close. “Are you alright?”

“I think he's more than alright”, chuckled Trend amused.

Sam blushed and buried his face in Derek's chest, trying to block the blonde out. Derek kept treading his fingers through Sam's hair, holding him close and making him feel safe. It took a moment for Derek to understand what his lover meant and then he noticed the hardness poking his stomach. Large, emerald eyes stared down at Sam in surprise. He had feared for a mental melt-down but he certainly hadn't expected for Sam to grow aroused.

“If... you want, you can go to your room and take care of, well, your little problem”, stated Derek.

“I don't need to come”, muttered Sam and shook his head. “Can... Can I just stay... here? Please?”

“Of course, sweetheart”, smiled Derek, shifting so the both of them were laying in Trend's arms. “I told you that I won't force you to sleep here, but that doesn't mean you can't come here whenever you _want_ to come to us. I want you, babe. And I want you to want us, so don't feel uncomfortable about approaching us, because we won't approach you. I won't force or pressure you.”

Sam nodded slowly, his eyes staring down at Trend's well-defined sixpack. “Good night, masters.”

Trend smiled a little. So now Sam accepted him as his master too? Interesting.

 

/break\

 

“You don't look too well. Are your wounds infected?”

Sander shook his head hastily and looked up at the blonde, very startled. Donny had send a proper healer since he thought that Sander's wounds were healed quite well, but he wanted to make sure so he had send a professional healer in. The girl was quite pretty; Danny Simmons, the daughter of the healer who had taken care of Sam. Sander averted his eyes and remained silent.

“Well? You going to answer me, boy?”, asked the older girl curiously.

Sander still remained silent and Danny accepted it this time around. She silently continued to check on the boy's injuries. They had scarred and those weren't welting or infected. They had nicely healed, only light stretches over Sander's skin. Everything looked well.

“You look good, Chrysander. At this rate, you'll be able to get to work really soon”, stated Danny.

That made Sander slightly uncomfortable. He still wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to do all day anyway. So far, he had just trailed after Donny like a lost puppy. Danny left the room and the only ones remaining were Sander and Donny's handmaiden Phyl.

“Something is bothering you, Danny is right with that”, whispered Phyl softly. “What is it?”

“I can't tell you, no, no, no”, mumbled Sander embarrassed and shook his head widely.

“But... we're friends now”, whispered Phyl with a small smile. “You can trust me. You don't just have Donny to rely on. You have other friends now too. Something is bothering you and as your friend, I would like to help you. I promise, I will keep whatever it is to myself.”

Sander looked doubtful and blushed again. “I—I have those thoughts in my head... bad thoughts...”

Phyl nodded slowly, unsure what Sander was talking about. “What... kind of... bad thoughts?”

“I—I keep thinking about Donny _naked_ ”, hissed Sander, completely red in his face. “I saw him in the bath the other day a—and since then I can't think about anything else!”

A relieved laugh escaped Phyl's lips as she sagged down some. “Oh, you have a crush on Donny!”

“Don't sound so relieved!”, chided Sander embarrassed. “He is my master and he's a prince a—and I'm just a slave. I can't have such... desires for him. Besides, he's so _pure_ , no one should defile someone so beautiful and wonderful and kind and innocent...”

Phyl's laughter died down to a small, tender smile. This sounded like a little more than just a crush.

“Don't worry about it, Sander”, smiled Phyl, grabbing his hand. “Donny is kind, as you say. He won't hold it against you. And I believe that falling for Donny is... not the worst choice. He's one of the few truly good ones. You'll get over it, Sander. Don't worry.”

Sander frowned confused. He didn't want to get over it. He wanted to kiss Donny and hold Donny and protect Donny and never-ever let go of him again. He didn't want to get over this feeling, because as weird and strange and wrong it may feel, it felt just as right and wonderful and amazing.

 

/break\

 

“When did you fall in love with me?”

Percy was startled out of his thoughts by the sudden and unexpected question. Putting his book down, he turned to stare at his king. He inevitably licked his lips. Water was running down the olive skin, completely bare skin at that. A towel was ruffling the dark, messy curls. His king was incredibly sexy and if he wouldn't already be highly pregnant, he'd be begging for it right now.

“What? Why are you asking that?”, asked Percy confused. “Now, especially?”

“You keep having conversations about it with Donny, with Sam... I just realized we never actually talked about it”, replied Nico and plunged down on the bed. “We were both there and we lived through it, but from two different points of view. And I just... I never actually asked for yours.”

“Mh... okay...”, nodded Percy slowly and snuggled up to his husband. “Story-time then...”

 

/flashback – twenty years ago\

 

_Percy resented everything. The whole world, if he was being honest. Life with his father and mother in Atlantis had been simple and beautiful, but then everything had gone wrong because they had discovered his secret and a trader had taken him away. The trader, a disgusting man named Gabe, had done plenty of even more disgusting things to him ever since he had gone into his... possession. If he was being honest, he didn't care about anything at all anymore._

_So much that when a man with incredibly dark eyes and olive-colored skin was paying a little too close attention to him, he simply spat the man into the face. He had gone through so much already and as much as he hated the hell he was in right now, he didn't know what kind of torture any future owner would have in store for him. So he'd rather stay where he was._

_He grunted pained when the blonde with the scar on his lips, a guard who had accompanied the olive-skinned one, was pinning him to the ground, a sword to Percy's throat. Fucking royals, honestly now. They never fought their own battles. Always the cowards, hiding behind guards._

“ _Let him go, Jason”, stated the olive-skinned one, wiping the spit off his face._

“ _Prince Nico, with all due respect...”, started the guard, his eyes flickering over to him._

“ _I want him. Let go of him and ask the trader for his price and however high it is, pay it.”_

_Percy started a little stunned. Okay, that one was a real weirdo. Was he into getting spit at...?_

“ _Hello, gorgeous”, whispered the prince softly, tilting Percy's chin up. “My name is Nico. Don't worry, pretty one, I'll take good care of you. You will be mine from now on.”_

“ _I am no one's”, growled Percy and glared fiercely at the other. “I am my own person.”_

“ _You may be, but still, all you are is... mine”, whispered Nico amused._

_That had been Percy's very first impression of his owner and future lover. A weirdo who was into getting spit at and talked back. Needless to say, at first Nico had taken Percy's rebellion with humor, but later on, he started to punish Percy for it if he went too far, noticing that Percy wasn't just testing his boundaries, he was trying to break them. What Percy couldn't understand and what truly frightened him was that he didn't resent the sex. In his experience, sex was the most revolting and painful thing there was. But this strange prince, he kept using his fingers before his dick and kept asking Percy if it hurt or if he should go slower and he even made a point of hitting this curious spot inside of Percy that Percy nearly suspected the prince had put there because he could swear it hadn't been there when Gabe had taken him for his own entertainment. And other things too, for example, the royal healer Octavian was checking on Percy practically daily now that Percy was pregnant and Piper – a wild spirit very much like Percy himself, but a maiden and not a slave – was tending to Percy's every need, fetching him drinks and food, accompanying him around. At first, Percy had resented it because it felt as though she was his babysitter, to make sure he didn't misbehave. But with the time, he befriended her and it felt more like companionship, especially while his master had important matters to attend and left his slave alone. Right now, Piper was helping him sit down at the dining table, to his king's right, sharing a large, comfortable sitting-cushion on the floor. They had some fancy, royal guest. Percy found himself unexpectedly excited. The guest was the owner of a carrier, or so Piper had told him. And meeting another carrier, well, that was surely exciting. His excitement died down when the guest entered, pulling harshly on a leash. The carrier on the other end had trouble stumbling after him and whenever he wasn't fast enough, the royal kicked him hard. Even though it was quite obvious the carrier was pregnant. Ever since Percy's pregnancy had been confirmed, Nico was basically carrying him around. Literally, quite often even. The prince was practically stumbling over his own feet, trying to assure Percy's health and safety. What this stranger did, it was disgusting. Percy was munching on a pomegranate, some amazing fruit he had never encountered before coming to this kingdom. The royal guest was sitting at the table, but his carrier was crunching on the floor, eating out of a bowl like some kind of animal. Percy felt his gut twist and stood abruptly, attracting everyone's attention._

“ _Morning sickness. It's not restrained to the morning...”, mumbled Percy and turned away._

“ _Piper, go with him and make sure he lays down and rests”, ordered Nico concerned._

_After emptying his stomach in the prince's bathroom, Percy went to lay in their bed. If that other carrier had ever slept in an actual bed...? No, better not think about that or he'd just spend more time hanging over a bucket. Groaning annoyed, he rolled onto his side and curled together._

“ _Are you feeling better, mio bello?”, asked Nico softly as he entered the bedroom._

_Percy was surprised that the prince was carrying a tray with an array of food on it, placing it on the nightstand right next to Percy. The prince sat down next to him, caressing his hair._

“ _Why do you do these things?”, asked Percy confused._

“ _What are you talking about, prezioso?”, questioned Nico, equally confused._

“ _Why do you... treat me like a human being?”, clarified Percy slowly. “Like an equal even? I mean, not counting the spankings and all, but even those are ridiculously soft punishments...”_

“ _I... do it, because you're... human too. Why should I treat you like any less?”_

_Percy frowned and thought his words over. He tried to recall every interaction he had with the prince ever since he had been bought and comparing them to how Nico treated others._

“ _No”, decided Percy. “That's not it. There's something else. You may treat me like an equal at times, but other times I'm just your possession. Like a toy you put in the upper shelf when someone else wants to play with it. You barely let me interact with anyone aside from Piper.”_

“ _Because... Because I'm afraid that... you may fall in love”, confessed Nico embarrassed. “And if you'd lose your heart to someone else, I... I couldn't keep you. I'd set you free.”_

_Percy was stunned into silence by this confession. That meant Nico truly cared about him. Why would he though? What did it mean? And why did that thought flood him with such a warmth?_

“ _If you don't want me to fall in love with someone else, maybe you should try and make me fall in love with you instead”, suggested Percy, without even meaning to say a word._

_He blushed embarrassed and clasped his hands over his mouth. Nico looked as stunned as he felt._

“ _I—I... are you serious?”, asked Nico awkwardly, shifting around nervously._

_It was actually cute and unusual. The way Percy had seen the prince so far, Nico was controlled, maybe even stoic, stubborn and nearly arrogant at times. Never insecure and nervous._

“ _I... I'm carrying your child, master”, pointed Percy out, taking Nico's hands to rest them on his relatively prominent stomach. “And you seem to have feelings for me, even though I'm not entirely sure_ _ **why**_ _, but... I think... I may be able to... develop feelings for you too and if... that option is on the table, I think it would be best for... everyone, actually. You, me, the baby. Love is... important.”_

_Nico smiled at Percy as though he knew a secret Percy didn't. Which was the case, because Nico knew why he loved Percy and Percy really couldn't understand why the prince would fall for a stubborn, defiant slave like him. And yet the thought that it still had happened made Percy's heart flutter in a strange way. A blush spread over his cheeks as Nico kissed his softly._


	10. The Royal Guard

_Chapter 10: The Royal Guard_

 

Sam was waking up to the feeling of someone caressing his hair. There was the nice warmth of bodies around him again. And a weirdly pleasurable aching in his backside, which was new.

“Dia duit ar maidin”, whispered a rough, dark voice into his ear.

Sam's eyes fluttered open to look at Derek, who just shook his head and nodded over behind Sam. Trend was smirking at him. Curiosity took over and Sam tilted his head, staring at the blonde.

“Trend is scarily intelligent”, explained Derek. “He's my adviser, but also my translator.”

“What do we do today?”, asked Sam, not going into the fact that Trend spoke his mother-tongue.

“You are free to do whatever you want, Trend and I have some legal obligations with King Nico and his court. I'd rather spend the day with you, especially now that you're feeling better, but a king has a lot of boring, boring responsibilities. Why don't you spend the day with Sander? He surely knows his way around the palace by now and you haven't seen it all yet, mh, sweetheart?”

Sam nodded slowly. Honestly, he had expected some kind of reaction concerning yesterday. He had jerked off while watching them, for crying out loud. And then he had gotten spanked for it and he had _liked_ it and grown hard. But instead of taking what was his, the king just held him and cuddled him until they all had fallen asleep in a heap of bodies.

“Thank you, master”, nodded Sam, yet not moving from his comfortable position.

Derek frowned confused at that. Normally, Sam only called him 'master' when he was nervous, anxious or wanted something. He didn't understand why Sam called him that right now.

 

/break\

 

Sander took longer and longer before he woke Donny up. More and more time was just spend with just standing in front of the prince's bed and marveling at the beautiful boy. It wasn't even perverse, that he was peeping on Donny and getting off by it. He just... For him, Donny was more like a masterpiece of art. A painting that Sander was just captivated by. He had this habit by now, of always touching his collar when he saw Donny sleeping, looking like an innocent angel. It filled him with pride to belong to someone so wonderful.

“Good morning, my prince”, started Sander reluctantly. “You have many important appointments today. Your father and King Derek require you to take your rounds through the market place today, since your mother is prohibited from leaving the palace.”

Donny grinned at the confused face Sander made at the word 'prohibited'. “Dad doesn't want mom to leave the palace because the baby is due in maybe two weeks or so.”

“Oh”, nodded Sander in understanding. “Uhm... What... do I do, my prince?”

“It's strictly royals and bodyguards only. We want to reassure our people of the safety of our market, it's why we take a walk once a week and buy certain groceries ourselves”, explained Donny with a smile. “You can't come with me, I guess. But you know your way around, do whatever you want.”

Sander frowned and nodded. He didn't like being apart from his prince. And honestly, he still hadn't found a thing to do around here and he hated the feeling of boredom and being useless.

 

/break\

 

Donny, Derek and Nico had left about an hour ago and Sander had no second to spar for being bored, because Sam had picked him up and asked if they could do something fun. They hadn't gotten far. Silly and Jimmy had basically stalked Sam the moment he had left the royal chambers and only when Sander, who they already knew better, was with Sam, they felt safe to approach them and beg the two adults to play with them. Right now, Sander and Sam were playing hide and seek with eight little children. Princess Silly, her court and Prince Jimmy and his court. Silly's court consisted of an adorable, little Asian-looking girl named Milly, a boy called JP as her bodyguard and a male handmaiden (Sander was still trying to figure out what to call that) by the name of Andy. Jimmy's court were his adviser Fred, who was Thea's little brother apparently, his bodyguard Basty, who was really watching out for his charge and taking his job quite serious, and the unsettling one. Her name was Carry and she had practically the same hair as Sander. The same shade of sandy-brown, the same kind of pointing-up weirdness that Sander always tried to smooth out. And when she was angry, she made the exact same face as Sander. It was scary.

“Okay. Do we have everyone?”, asked Sander, panting as he tried to support himself.

Milly, Fred, JP and Carry were sitting together, playing rock, paper, scissor, giggling to themselves. Silly was clinging to Sam's pants while chatting to Andy about some kind of book their tutor made them read. Sander was a bit freaked out by that. He had never learned to read and those little eight and nine years old kids read whole books? Sam was braiding Silly's hair while listening to the kids. Sander was grinning to himself when he saw them. Sam was really good with the kids.

“We're short one prince and his bodyguard”, pointed Fred out, having mercy with Sander.

“Oh. Oh gods”, yelped Sander wide-eyed. “I lost a prince!”

“If by 'a prince', you mean this little delinquent, then I found your lost prince.”

Sander turned toward an annoyed looking Reyna, who was holding Basty and Jimmy by the arms, glaring annoyed. The female was a handmaiden, but she could easily kick ass. And the two children knew it, because they looked incredibly wide-eyed and guilty. And singed, for some reason.

“What did you two do?”, asked Sam sternly as he turned toward them. “If you got into trouble, so help me god, I'll personally inform your mother of it, James Charles.”

“We... may have... uhm... been in the kitchen and it made... boom...?”, mumbled Jimmy, throwing his very famous kitten-eyes at Sam. “Please don't tell mommy! I don't want him disappointed!”

“You two, get lost”, ordered Reyna with a leveled glare directed at the two slaves. “You apparently have no qualifications to watch over children. I take over while our queen is preoccupied.”

Sam flinched like he had been hit and Sander frowned upset at that. It wasn't true, after all. They had been good. It wasn't their fault that Jimmy and Basty were so good at sneaking away. And he _knew_ that it hurt Sam, since he was a carrier and was good with kids, just naturally so.

“Come on, let's go and do something fun for you”, suggested Sander to pick his friend up.

He led Sam to the garden. The knights were training again, but Sander stopped with quite a lot of distance toward them. On a hill, overlooking the training area. He grinned when he saw Sam relaxing a little. Sander enjoyed watching the knights train, he loved seeing it.

 

/break\

 

Percy was bored out of his mind as he sat on the balcony. Nico was not going to get _any_ kind of sex for at least three weeks for this. He knew exactly how much Percy hated just sitting around. Well, at least the program out side the palace got more interesting. For a little while, he had watched Sander and Sam playing with the little ones, which had been cute. When Reyna had interrupted, Percy had switched to watching the knights train. It _was_ quite the nice show, after all. But then Sam and Sander had appeared on the hill. And they started fighting. Not real fighting, but sword-fighting with sticks. Like Basty and Jimmy sometimes did, just that those two right now made it look professional. Percy grew more curious as he kept watching them.

“Mom! We bought cake, blueberry to make up for dad ditching you!”

Percy smiled as he turned around. Trend was carrying a large cake as he accompanied Nico, Donny and Derek inside. The four joined Percy on the balcony, placing the cake on the little table and taking their seats in a circle with Percy. The queen leaned over and kissed Donny's cheek.

“You're a good boy”, smiled Percy. “But your father will still sleep on the couch.”

“I was expecting that, that's why I bought a comfortable pillow”, replied Nico nonchalantly.

They sat together and ate comfortably, at least until the others noticed the two boys on the hill. Trend's eyes were fixed on Sam and the way he moved. Fluent, dodging every hit from Sander, blocking them perfectly. The gorgeous carrier knew exactly what he was doing. It was curious.

“I'd... like to check that out up close”, confessed Trend after they finished their cake.

“Wonderful idea!”, exclaimed Percy and stood slowly. “Let's get going. _One word_ , Niccoló, and you'll have to look for a different chamber to sleep in. Don't test me.”

Nico nodded stiffly and took Percy by the arm, at the very least. He knew Percy hated to be treated like he was injured or anything just because he was pregnant. And Nico didn't mean to, he was just really concerned for Percy since he himself had no idea what being pregnant was like and he worried. The five of them headed out of the palace, passing the royal guard. Luke and Jason saluted to them before turning back to their training, drilling the knights in things that looked more fluent when Sam did them with a stick. It was confusing for Trend.

“Jason, Luke. Send your boys on a break. I want you to come with us”, ordered Nico.

The head-guards nodded and followed their king, a little confused. Though both realized what Nico wanted when they found a carrier training a labor slave, showing far more experience and talent than about half the knights Jason and Luke were training. Derek on the other hand was feeling himself getting hard when he saw the way Sam fought. It was even more erotic than the way Sam had belly-danced. Completely and utterly mesmerizing. Donny found himself equally hooked.

“No, Sander. Your posture”, growled Sam annoyed. “You hold yourself completely wrong.”

“Not completely, but he could do a better job”, interjected Luke amused.

The two slaves dropped their sticks and turned around startled, only now noticing the audience they had attracted. Sam gulped and actually  _hid_ behind Sander, who looked protective and worried.

“We didn't do anything!”, exclaimed Sander wide-eyed. “I—I know slaves aren't allowed to fight and all, but we didn't use real weapons, right? So... we didn't do anything wrong...”

“Please shut up before I send you to the dog-house, you guilty puppy”, grunted Luke and lifted one hand up to shut Sander up. “Seriously, how does the prince put up with you?”

“Because he's an adorable puppy!”, exclaimed Donny and glared at the knight.

Sander blushed furiously, which caused Percy to coo. Nico for his part stepped back to observe.

“Where did you learn to fight like that, carrier?”, asked Jason, his voice holding authority.

“I don't think that's any of _your_ business”, growled Sam defensively.

“Not his business, but ours”, stated Trend and stepped a little forward. “Answer. Now.”

Sam wavered a little and stepped back behind Sander again. “I don't want to.”

“Well, I'd appreciate the truth though”, commented Derek, standing next to Donny.

“No slave can learn the kind of things you know. Where did you learn them?”, asked Luke.

Sander nudged Sam a little, stepping aside and pushing Sam forward a bit. “Come on, Sam.”

“I... I learned it in the Royal Guard”, replied Sam and straightened his back as he glared at Luke fiercely. “I... used to be General Samuel Elijah James Raser the Third of the Fólannian Islands, head of the Fódhlandrastan division of King Matthew's guard.”

“Raser?”, repeated Jason and Luke stunned, staring at him shocked.

“Raser, like General Samuel Raser, the head of King Matthew's Royal Guard?”, asked Jason.

“I believe that's what he just said”, stated Percy confused.

“No, no, General Samuel Raser the Second, he was the head of the main guard back when Luke and I were just newbies. He dominated whole wars. He led the army that invaded Fódhlandrasta in the first place and won it over to become part of the Fólannian Islands, even though they had fought tooth and nail to stay independent”, rambled Jason, sounding a little like a fanboy.

“My grandfather, yes”, nodded Sam stiffly.

“You mean you, a _carrier_ , used to be a general in the Royal Guard?”, asked Luke skeptically.

“Yes”, growled Sam, fixing Luke with a glare. “I'm not a born slave. I was raised in the castle in Eirepona, as the son of a lord and a lady. The son of two knights. I've earned my fair share of medals defending my home and my king. I rose to be a general when I was sixteen. And I lost _everything_ because my grandfather caught me kissing another knight, digging and digging until he found out what's 'wrong' with me. He couldn't let it go, he couldn't accept it and needed to find a valid reason why I felt the way I did. And when he found one that pleased him, he used it to get rid of the disgrace of his family and sold me into slavery. Not because it was the 'right' thing to do because that's where carriers belong, but simply because he felt _so_ ashamed that his grandson and heir was into men that he'd rather erase him from the family tree than learn to accept it. I had a perfectly honorable life that I was proud of, I loved serving my country, fighting for it. And now I haven't even touched a sword in a year. You have no idea how that feels, so don't you dare judging me because I'm a carrier. I was a knight first, before I was a slave.”

Sander stared concerned after his friend as he ran off. On the one hand he wanted to go after Sam, but on the other, he knew that Sam needed to blow off some steam now. He hated talking about his life before slavery, even more so than talking about what happened during his captivity.

“What did you do that for?!”, growled Sander angered, startling the others as he glared at Luke. “Your own queen used to be a slave, what is your problem? Yes, carriers are capable to do more than just bear kids! Why were you being so mean to him?!”

“Mh, so the puppy can also bark and bite”, commented Luke impressed. “For the record, I wasn't being 'mean'. I just questioned how a carrier even got into the army to begin with.”

“Oh...”, mumbled Sander, now a little embarrassed. “I just... Sam is my best friend and I know how much he hates to talk about the life he used to have before he became a slave, because he used to have basically everything. He had four cousins who were like sisters to him, he had a loving family, titles and fame, admirers, friends, he was living in a mansion, he even had _love_. And then he went to sleeping on the ground in a cage, with shackles and a collar.”

“If you'd excuse us, my queen. I'd like to go after him”, stated Derek, tugging on Trend's hand.

“Of course, kids. Go and comfort him”, smiled Percy softly, nodding to them.

Now that Sam, Derek and Trend were gone, Sander grew kind of worried. Everybody was staring at him so critically. He was honestly relieved when three brunettes came up to them, interrupting.

“Grace, Castellan, will we continue now? Because if you leave me alone any longer with those two bastards, I will cut their balls off with their own swords”, growled the brunette woman.

She was holding onto two nearly identical, brunette men. Percy chuckled as he saw the Stolls, looking so very much like their adopted sons right then and there. In trouble for mischief.

“Clarisse, if you kill Connor and Travis, we'll be short two knights”, sighed Jason annoyed.

“Not much of a loss consid...”, huffed Clarisse before interrupting herself. “Who's that?”

“Right, you haven't met Sander yet. He's the slave I told you about, the one Donny brought with him”, said Percy in ways of introduction. “Sander, this is one of our knights, Clarisse Rodriguez.”

“Mom?”, whispered Donny confused. “Why are they staring at each other like that?”

“I have absolutely no idea”, grunted Percy after another moment of awkward staring.

Clarisse had actually let go of the Stolls, who hastily ran off at the opportunity. She didn't even seem to notice as she walked up to Sander, staring the boy up and down. That kind of behavior was more than weird for the female knight so Nico took a moment to really look at Sander now. Especially with Clarisse next to him. Okay, there were a lot of brunettes and Clarisse didn't have a trademark on this shade of brown, but it did strike Nico as odd that they had the same shade of sandy-brown hair. And now that he looked intensely, he realized why Sander's face looked so familiar. His bone-structure was very similar to that of Chris, Clarisse's husband.

“Sander? Like... Chrysander...?”, asked Clarisse slowly, her voice actually quivering.

Sander laughed a little and grinned. “Yeah, actually. Most people assume it's short for Alexander.”

The laughter died when Clarisse was basically invading his personal space, touching his face. “Where did you get that scar over your eye, boy? Do you... remember?”

“I... don't really, just faintly. I don't remember much from before I became a slave”, shrugged Sander confused, tracing the scar himself. “I think I fell off a... swing, I guess...”

“Because your sister pushed you too hard and you kept crying for hours”, whispered Clarisse.

“How do you know that?”, asked Sander stunned. “I mean, there was a girl, I guess, but...”

“Her name is Calandra”, replied Clarisse softly. “A—And I know because I was _there_.”

Percy's breath hitched when he realized what was going on. Clarisse's son had disappeared back when their village had been attacked and Clarisse had just assumed that her little boy had died. But what if the healthy youth had been taken into slavery, to gain some profit.

“Jason, Luke. You have a class to teach. Nico, Donny, if you'd help me back to our chambers, please. I'm feeling extremely exhausted all of a sudden and wish to lay down”, stated Percy.

He acted faint, fluttering his eyelashes. Nico was hanging off his arm within seconds and Donny, albeit confused and looking at Sander questioningly, went to help his mother. Jason and Luke obeyed their queen's command and left, until only a completely confused Sander and a close to tears Clarisse were left on the hill. Clarisse wanted to hate herself for being short of crying, because that was a weakness and if there was one thing Clarisse wasn't, it was being weak.

“Y—You were so small...”, croaked Clarisse out, her throat feeling so tight. “We were under attack a—and your father and I, we were fighting to defend our home. But when we came back to our village, it was burning. One of the neighbors was holding onto your sister, but no one knew where you were. I—I... no, we. We thought you... died. In the fire, or in the attack before. We searched for you, in every ruin there was, all around the village and the cities surrounding it, but no one knew anything a—and we started to... accept the fact that you were dead. Our home was destroyed, our kingdom had fallen in the war and been taken over by the enemy. We took Cally and left, seeking shelter here. I... had no idea you were still alive. I... I am your mother, Chrysander.”

Sander's whole world basically collapsed around him, so he did the only logical thing he could do. He turned around and ran as fast as he could back to Donny's chambers, where he startled the young prince nearly into a heart-attack and collapsed on his own bed, hiding under the pillow.

“Uhm... San? What's... wrong? Are you alright?”, asked Donny concerned, waking over to Sander's room and sitting down on his bed next to him. “What was Clarisse talking about? What happened?”

“S—She's my mother”, mumbled Sander into the cushion, barely audible.

“Hey, I can't understand a word”, chuckled Donny softly, guiding Sander so he was laying with his head in Donny's lap, Donny tenderly caressing Sander's hair. “Now tell me about it, San.”

“She's my mother”, repeated Sander softly, staring down onto the floor. “She's... my mother. And I have a sister. No. No, actually, that would mean I have _two_ sisters. That means Carry is my little sister. Which means I also have a father. I... I... I have a family, Donny.”

“That's... wonderful”, whispered Donny with a tender smile. “But then why are you here? Why aren't you with them, getting to know them, talking to them, reconnecting.”

“I'm a _slave_ ”, mumbled Sander and looked up at Donny with large, worried eyes. “She's a knight and my father apparently is a knight too and my baby sister who I met for like the first time today is some kind of clever adviser for a princess a—and all I am is a slave. I can't even read or write or properly fight, all I can do is... lift stuff around and build tents.”

“I don't understand...”, confessed Donny confused.

“W—Why would they want me in their family...?”, asked Sander, sounding small and vulnerable.

Donny's face fell and he stared completely dumbfounded at Sander. “What?”

“I was five when I became a slave. All I know is traveling around, doing what my master tells me. Doing manual labor and shutting up because my opinion doesn't matter and no one cares”, admitted Sander, sounding so dark and bitter as Donny had never heard him before. “Before Sam, I've never had anyone caring for me as a human being a—and it's already weird enough to have you caring, because Sam is just another slave like me so that's different. B—But what... what do I do with... parents... a—and siblings...? H—How do I make them care...? A—And... like me?”

Donny actually felt a tear run down his cheek before he rolled Sander off his lap to properly hug him tightly. “Stupid Sander. How could they not care? How could they not like you? You're adorable and sweet and very, very, very likable. A—And believe me one thing, Sander. I know Clarisse and Chris very well and I grew up with their daughter Cally... with your sister... Clarisse often talked with my mom about the son she lost. It's been the only times I ever saw her sad and vulnerable. She _still_ loves you, even though she lost you so long ago. I... I understand that you're afraid and don't know what to do, but... they don't know either. So... why don't you go and try figure it out together? As a family? Because that's what families do, Sander. They stick together.”

“B—But what if I'm not who they want me to be? What if they don't want me?”, asked Sander, still looking worried, turning the puppy-eyes on Donny. “Can you please come with me?”

“I... uhm... sure”, nodded Donny awkwardly, blushing a little.

 

/break\

 

Derek was smiling amused when he saw Sam laying in his bed, screaming into the pillow and hitting the mattress. He was throwing a full-blown temper tantrum and it was adorable.

“If you're done there, would you like to talk?”, asked Derek curiously and amused.

“No”, growled Sam annoyed and sat up. “I want to hit something or beat something or just break something. This... This is my _past_. It's over and done and it'll never be back and I never wanted to think about it and I never wanted anyone to know about it, but now everybody does and I _hate_ it!”

“Okay”, nodded Trend as he approached them. “Catch.”

Sam yelped when a sword was thrown onto the bed next to him. He stared at it completely lost.

“You said you want to beat or hit something. Does a sword work too?”, offered Trend curiously.

“A—Are you... serious?”, asked Sam stunned and looked over at Derek shyly.

“Don't look at me”, huffed Derek and held his hands up defensively. “The way you move when you fight is actually even hotter than when you dance. I'm certainly not objecting to a show.”

“But...”, stated Sam, staring at them like they were idiots. “You just saw the way I move with a _stick_ , what do you think I can do with a real sword? And you're just handing me one?”

“Trust goes two ways. If I want you to trust me, I have to trust you”, answered Derek softly. “You're clearly very upset at the moment, but earlier when I saw you with Sander, you were happier and more at ease than I've seen you before, aside from with Silly. So if this is something that makes you happy, I want to give it to you. And it just so happens that Trend here is the best swordsman I have.”

“Only because I left the guard”, countered Sam with a slight, confident grin.

Derek chuckled and walked back to his own bedroom, sitting down on his bed comfortably to watch. He knew they needed to talk about this at one point. He also knew he wanted to find out more about Sam's family. He obviously knew Samuel Raser the Second since the head of the guard had been over at the palace often when Derek had been a child and Derek wanted to get behind why this knight would do such a horrible thing to his own grandson. Still, right now he wanted and needed to focus on making Sam happy again, because he really disliked having him be all sad.

“Well, show me what you got to offer, big shot”, challenged Trend intrigued.

Derek sank into the cushions when the two hot guys started to go at each other with the swords, in complete control of their bodies, moving like two predators. This would certainly go into foreplay once they made Sam theirs. Maybe Derek could get them into gladiator-suits...?


	11. The Royal Dinner Party

_Chapter 11: The Royal Dinner Party_

 

Clarisse was pacing their quarters in the palace, while Chris was sitting on the couch, with Carry on his lap. The girl was highly confused and Chris was still under shock. They had tried to explain everything to Carry, but how do you explain to your ten-years-old that she had a brother who her parents had believed to be dead for twelve years. And now he resurfaced as a slave.

“Sandy is nice”, stated Carry with a frown. “So I get to have him as my brother now?”

“H—He is your brother”, nodded Chris slowly, gulping hard.

“And he ran away from me when I told him I'm his mother!”, exclaimed Clarisse.

She was angry and hurt and confused. It was obvious that the boy didn't remember her, but did he also not want to meet her? Did he have some kind of surrogate parents already? Or what? The soft knocking on the door interrupted her internal conflict. She just glared at the door, so Chris pushed Carry off his lap and went to open the door. He was surprised to see their crown prince.

“Prince Donny? What can we do for you?”, asked Chris curiously.

“Uhm... Sander was nervous to come over alone”, confessed Donny and pulled on Sander's wrist.

The slave reluctantly stepped into Chris' sight, eyes lowered nervously. Chris just stared. The boy really looked a lot like him. When Sander finally looked up, Chris saw that he even had his eyes. He was tall in build and muscular. Chris had no idea what to do, honestly. Was he to shake the boy's hand, or clap him on the shoulder, or hug him? He probably should introduce himself first.

“Sander, that's Chris. Clarisse's husband. Your... father”, introduced Donny softly before pushing Sander into Chris' arms. “And now hug, for crying out loud. And let's get inside.”

Chris caught the boy before he fell and pulled him into a hug. Sander stiffened nervously, but he tried to return the hug. So this was his father. He had a father. What did you do with a father...?

“Hello”, piped a small voice as someone tugged on Sander's pants. “You're mine now.”

The two men parted and Sander looked down at Carry, who looked very determined. “What?”

“You're my big brother now”, said Carry, staring him down. “That means you have to come and play with me and when my friends talk about what great big siblings they have, you have to come and be greater and more awesome. And you have to tell me good-night stories. Cally used to tell me stories, but she joined the Huntresses and left. Can you tell good stories?”

“Charisma, don't overwhelm him”, warned Clarisse and stepped in. “Sorry, she's... enthusiastic.”

“It's not my fault I only got him now!”, complained Carry with a glare. “He has to make up for lots of years of being my big brother! Now gimme, daddy! I wanna have hugs too!”

Chris stepped away from Sander reluctantly as Carry basically threw herself at Sander. The boy was a little more at easy when he hugged the little girl. His little sister. Donny smiled as he sat down on the couch, watching silently how the family exchanged some awkward greetings.

 

/break\

 

Trend was smiling contently as he ran his fingers through Sam's hair. The two had been going at it for about two hours and Trend had to admit that Sam was the best swordsman he had ever encountered. Completely exhausted and sweating, they had just collapsed on the bed and when Trend had pulled the smaller male into his arms, Sam hadn't disagreed, he had just snuggled up to him, tired from the so far long day. Even though it was barely afternoon.

“You two are disgusting”, commented Derek next to them, causing Sam to flinch. “You two reek and you're sweaty. You need to get showered, because Percy mentioned a dinner party for today and I'm not taking you two there if you smell like ew. Get cleaned up now, both of you.”

Sam blinked surprised and nodded slowly before getting up. “Yes, master.”

Once inside the bathroom, he shed his robes and came to stand under the shower-head, slowly turning the hot water on. Hot water. Just like that. No need to make a fire and heat it first. Water falling down on him, instead of having to take a bath. Sam really could get used to showers, they were a pretty neat invention. A yelp escaped his lips as something soft touched his shoulder. Turning some, he came eye to collarbone with Trend.

“W—What are you doing?”, stuttered Sam and turned red.

“Derek said we should get showered and we should hurry. We'll be faster if we just share the shower”, whispered Trend, his hot breath making Sam shudder. “I'll scrub your back, okay?”

Sam nodded stiffly. And then he shuddered once more. He could feel the heat of Trend's body even through the heat of the falling water. This was a different heat, a welcomed heat. The sponge was soft as Trend drew circles on Sam's back, soaping him up tenderly.

“What do you miss the most about your old life?”, asked Trend. “And don't tell me you don't want to talk about it. I think you're desperate to talk about it. You blurted out so much in the garden and just now in the bedroom, more than you actually had to to answer the questions. You want to talk about it, even though you may not like to talk about it.”

“I miss the training”, confessed Sam softly, staring at the wall in front of him. “The discipline and control over the own body. Pushing myself to the limit, the aching the next day, knowing what I achieved. But also the companionship between the knights. And riding. Aside from sword-fighting, it was my favorite pastime. The way the wind feels...”

Trend nodded in understanding, making some mental notes for later usage.

 

/break\

 

“King Niccoló Antonio Cosimo di Angelo, son of Hades and ruler under the sun of Itannwn.”

Nico rolled his eyes and entered the room. Since they had royal visitors (Derek was by far not the only royal who had found his way to their palace. There was a nearly constant in and out of lords and ladies), the servants liked to make everything formal. There was an upside to being the king. He and his family were the last ones to enter so he didn't have to endure the introductions.

“And Queen Perseus Lir di Angelo, ruler under the moon of Itannwn.”

Percy entered and as always, he took Nico's breath away. He was gorgeous, even though Percy himself liked to complain that being pregnant made him look fat. Nico thought he was glowing. The light, blue silken-robes flew around him, sapphires and aquamarines adoring his body and crown. He gave Nico a blinding smile as he sat down next to his husband, earning a tender kiss.

“You're breathtaking, amore”, murmured Nico softly, resting one hand on Percy's thigh.

“Crown Prince Hades Poseidon di Angelo, heir to the throne of Itannwn”, continued the annoying servant with the loud voice. “And his siblings. Prince Theseus Paul di Angelo, Princess Sally Persephone di Angelo, Princess Laura Silena di Angelo, Prince James Charles di Angelo and Prince Jackson Tyson di Angelo, heirs to King Niccoló and Queen Perseus.”

And in came their rascals. Nico and Percy sat at the head of the table, Donny sat down to Nico's left, followed by Percy Junior and Jimmy. Opposite Donny and next to Percy sat their youngest, Jack, followed by Thess and Silly. Since it was semi-official, only other lords and ladies, as well as King Derek and Trend were sitting at their table. The courts sat separate from them. Percy frowned at the lack of not only Donny's cute shadow Sander, but also Silly's adviser Carry.

“Sweetness, where is Sander?”, asked Percy softly, a little confused.

“Clarisse and Chris decided to eat in their chambers. They have a lot of catching up with Sander to do”, replied Donny with a large grin, before freezing, his eyes widening. “Oh gods. Wait. That means Sander is actually a sir! He's the son of Lord Rodriguez, after all.”

Percy's eyes widened equally, which made Nico smile fondly, because it showed just how much of his mother Donny had in him. “Which makes him a lord. Which means he _could_ become a knight. If that is really what he wants. What do you say, you go and tell him the good news tonight?”

“Let's first give him some time to get used to having a family before you bestow knighthood on him”, suggested Nico amused, kissing Percy's cheek.

Having guests over for dinner was always a little annoying because of the long table. There was no way of really talking to each other. So Percy was forced to wait until after dinner before he could really hug his best friend. The little Latino was grinning broadly as he tried to embrace him.

“You're gigantic, Perce”, commented the little one with a snicker.

“Leo!”, exclaimed Percy, hitting his arm. “Don't be mean or I'll throw you into the dungeons!”

They had moved out onto the balcony to talk in peace while the other lords and ladies were chatting. Nico, Percy and the guests Donny had invited over a couple of days before. Nico's cousin Hazel and her family. Her family considered of her husband Frank and their carrier Leo. It had been a while since Hazel had visited, but back in the old days, Leo and Percy had bonded quite well and had soon become best friends. Of course, they couldn't just invite the threesome. Their two youngest children were already living at the palace – Sammy Marie being Thess' handmaiden and Milly being Jimmy's handmaiden. But they also had an older daughter, Esperanza Nicole. She, just like the rest of their team, had been invited over for dinner too. Lady Hazel Levesque was in charge of the royal mines and her husband Frank was the owner of the royal forges, where aside from Esperanza and Leo, three other workers were employed. There was Tyson, who was an adorable, kind-hearted giant. The tall young man was just in the middle of lifting Percy off the ground and hugging him tightly. He considered Percy his big brother, because Percy had taken the orphaned, homeless teenager in years ago and offered him work in the forges. The other member of the forges was a man named Charles Beckendorf, husband to Percy's midwife Silena.

“It's so good to have you all here”, smiles Percy as he was put down again.

“It's good to be here. Your food is always amazing”, commented Frank sheepishly.

He had one arm around Leo's waist and the other around Hazel's. Charles was standing next to them, together with his wife Silena, who was the most beautiful woman Percy had ever met.

“You'll soon be over for an entirely different purpose”, promised Silena amused. “Our dear queen is more than ready to give birth and you know how excessive our king celebrates his heirs.”

“If the little one would finally decide to move out”, groaned Percy, his hands on his stomach.

“But it'll be the cutest, little bugger since, well, the last one”, cooed Leo with a grin.

“Most likely”, nodded Charles, smiling fondly.

“Where's Ella?”, asked Tyson after craning his neck for the tenth time.

“She's a librarian, so most likely in the library”, noted Percy amused. “Just go, Ty.”

Everybody knew that the smith had a big crush on the redheaded librarian. Yelping slightly, Tyson dashed off the balcony and out of the dining hall. He nearly ran Donny over, but the prince could catch himself. Smiling fondly, because he had a good idea where Tyson was going.

“Anyway”, grunted Donny and shook his head. “Turns out Sander is actually the son of Lord and Lady Rodriguez, which kind of makes him royal. That's huge. I'm so happy for him!”

“That's a big change. A big chance”, nodded Trend thoughtful.

He was talking wildly to Derek, Trend, Esperanza and the third worker at the forge; Joe Foxx. Sam was standing awkwardly around, more so in the back. Since everything had been so formal, he had eaten with the servants. It was strange, he had gotten used to being next to Derek and Trend. While the royals talked, Sam snorted to himself, earning their attention.

“There something you have to add, sweetheart?”, asked Derek curiously.

“Don't make this sound like a good thing”, stated Sam and shifted some. “All San has known is being a labor-slave. He's had enough trouble dealing with his new master and how he treats him, how much freedom he has right now. I don't think he'll have an easy time getting used to _this_.”

Donny frowned concerned. Sander had already said something similar too and honestly, Donny was a little worried about just that. Sander had talked about himself so lowly, even though he was so wonderful. Honestly, Donny hoped that maybe Chris, Clarisse and Carry could help.

 

/break\

 

Dinner had been exhausting, especially considering how long they had been standing around and talking. A relieved sigh slipped out of Percy's mouth as he sank into the comfortable pile of cushions on their bed. The sigh was followed by a moan when Nico started to massage his feet.

“Oh, I love you, I love you, I love you”, groaned Percy happily.

“I'm aware of that, my queen”, chuckled Nico, kissing one of Percy's ankles.

“Tell me why you love me”, ordered Percy after a moment, staring at the ceiling.

“Come again?”, grunted Nico surprised, looking up.

“Well, you asked me yesterday to tell you why I fell in love with you”, murmured Percy, turning to look at his husband. “Now tell me why you fell in love with me, my king. When did you know.”

“Mh... The moment I first saw you, when you spit into my face, that was when I knew that I had to have you, because you were the challenge I've always waited for”, started Nico with a smile as he remembered. “But I didn't fall in love with you back then. No, I fell in love with you when you kicked me in the crown-jewels, I think... Yes, definitely...”

 

/flashback\

 

_Nico grinned like a lion who had the antelope dead and sprawled out in front of him. Even though it would be more appropriate to say he was the lion looking at the lioness sprawled out in front of him, because his new property was laying right there. Dressed in fine clothes, cleaned up and shackled to the bed-frame. Those sea-green eyes were glaring fiercely at him._

“ _You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen”, observed Nico, shedding his own robes._

“ _And you're naked”, stated Percy, blinking a couple of times. “Put that thing away.”_

“ _I know exactly where to put it”, smirked Nico and crawled up to Percy._

_He placed his hands on the slave's knees, pushing them apart. Or at least trying to. Percy twisted his leg so it was between Nico's and then he pulled up hard. Nico groaned and collapsed sideways on the bed as his dick and balls pulsed with pain. Whimpering a little, he held onto them._

“ _Don't think I'll just let you have me”, declared Percy, his eyes hard. “Don't think I won't put up a fight. Don't think because you bought me that you also own me.”_

 

/flashback|end\

 

“You could have told me earlier that you're a masochist, Nico. I could have kicked you more often”, cooed Percy teasingly before turning serious again. “Honestly now, why...?”

“Because you made me realize that, regardless of what society told us, you're not just a fuck-toy, you're a person. A person who won't bow down just because I was a prince”, answered Nico with a shrug. “You were the first person not to do everything I wanted just because I'm royal. That's what I first learned to love about you. And the challenge of wooing you. I'm... aware you weren't entirely willing when we had sex for the first time and I'm very sorry for that, my love.”

“I was more willing than I let on”, confessed Percy with a faint blush. “You _are_ quite handsome and your touch was more than appealing, especially... considering what I was used to. Still, I can't believe that _that_ was when you fell in love with me, Nico.”

“It was the moment I started to fall for you”, corrected Nico amused, trailing kisses up Percy's leg. “But I was a complete goner when you realized that you were pregnant with Bianca Maria... I was so sure you'd freak out, hate me and the baby. But regardless of your own feelings for me, you showed so much joy, happiness and love for the little miracle inside of you. That was when I _knew_ that there is no one I'd ever love more than you, because it would be impossible.”

Percy smiled softly and grabbed Nico by the shoulders. “Come here, you hopeless romantic...”

The son of Hades returned the smile and laid next to his husband, kissing his softly.

 

/break\

 

“It's getting late, why aren't we returning to your chambers, masters?”

Derek really started to grow nervous about the fact that Sam called them both master now on a regular base. Did it mean that Sam was constantly uncomfortable around them now, after the spanking? Had it been a mistake to do this to Sam? He needed to talk to Trend about it.

“Because I have a surprise for you, sweetheart”, replied Derek with a small grin. “I'm sorry you couldn't sit with us during dinner. I wasn't aware that the king's cousin would be reason enough to fuss so much. Anyway, I wanted to do something nice for you, so...”

Sam just wanted to ask what, but then they reached the stable and judging by the smug look on Trend's face, the blonde had been talking to their king. Sam's heart sped up in anticipation. A smile spread over his lips as they walked past those majestic, beautiful beings. He couldn't decide which one to pat, or if he even was _allowed_ to touch any of them since these were the royal stables. But then Trend and Derek stopped in front of two beauties. A dark-gray stallion and a brown mare.

“This is Fighter, she's mine. And Rush here is Trend's”, introduced Derek, patting the brown horse.

Sam walked up to them with his mouth open in an o. He cautiously patted them, both horses nudging him in greeting, which only made his smile more brilliant, eyes sparkling brightly.

“You are one beautiful lady, aren't you?”, whispered Sam, leaning his cheek against Fighter's.

“Hop on”, ordered Derek, motioning at Fighter.

“What?”, grunted Sam, staring at him surprised.

“We're riding out”, explained the king. “You can ride her, if you want to. I'll ride with you.”

Sam was more than eager as he climbed onto Fighter's back. The grin on his lips nearly split his face when he felt the lean muscles of the horse beneath him and saw everything from this high above. Derek followed and climbed up behind him, his arms sneaking around Sam's waist, chest pressing against the slave's back. A slight blush crept onto Sam's cheeks, but his grin didn't waver.

“I'll tell you where to go, sweetheart. Just follow my orders”, whispered Derek.

His breath caressed Sam's neck in a teasing way, causing the slave to shudder. “Always, master.”

Derek grinned to himself. Maybe it also meant something else. Maybe Sam used that title because he had finally settled with being theirs, truly. With calling Derek 'sire', he had distanced himself from the reality that he was Derek's. Perhaps now he was comfortable with the fact that Derek and Trend were his masters? Because the way he used the title wasn't uncertain. His voice didn't waver or break, he didn't whisper it like something to be ashamed of. He said it loud and clear.

 

/break\

 

Donny kind of felt bad for the way he felt right now, because he was actually happy that Sander wasn't there, which was an awful thing. Especially because it wasn't just out of the reason that Sander was right now with his family and Donny was happy for his friend, but also because he had his chambers to himself. While Sander was there, Donny felt the urge to be perfect, to look perfect, to leave an impression. It had been weeks now since he had just casually lounged around in his underwear and with uncombed hair. He had tried to be on his best behavior, with Sander in his chambers. Of course he had enjoyed having Sander so close by, but the pressure to appear proper was horrible, especially in his own bedroom. Right now he was down to his undergarments, hanging upside-down off the side of the bed while reading a book.

“Uhm... Am I interrupting, my prince?”

Donny looked up from his book to see a slightly surprised Sander in the doorway. Blushing furiously, Donny sat up and wrapped the blankets around his lithe frame.

“N—No. Why are you here?”, asked Donny, watching how Sander flinched. “I didn't mean it like that! I just... I thought you'd, you know, move in with your parents or something...”

“I only just met them”, mumbled Sander, sitting down on the floor next to Donny's bed, legs crossed. “Besides, I made a very important decision and I wanted to tell you.”

“Y—Yes?”, asked Donny nervously.

Oh crap. Now that Sander was royal, he wasn't really Donny's anymore, now was he? Why should he stay with the prince then? He was going to tell Donny that he'd move out. Into the army, or the village or... far, far away. He'd lose his Sander. No, no, no. That was no good.

“I want to become a knight”, declared Sander and looked up at Donny with those hopeful chocolate eyes of his. “I promise you I'll train extra hard and make up for the years I'm lacking, but father said that since I'm the son of a lord and a lady even, I could join the training. I'll become your knight.”

“W—What?”, stammered Donny and blushed a little.

“You'll be the queen one day and even though most inherited the royal guard of their parents, I know that, Sam told me, every king and queen has their own set of most trusted knights. Like King Arthur's knights of the round table, right?”, asked Sander shyly.

“Indeed”, nodded Donny thoughtful.

“I want to become your knight”, stated Sander determined. “I want to protect you when you're the queen one day. I mean, uhm, I already want to protect you now that you're a prince, but I just...”

“I get it”, smiled Donny, his eyes sparkling. “And thank you. I'm sure you'll be a good knight.”

“Thanks, my prince”, mumbled Sander flustered. “So... uhm... C—Can I stay? I mean, I _am_ still yours, even if I found my parents. That doesn't nullify that I'm a slave. That I'm your slave.”

“That's true”, nodded Donny slowly. “But I don't want to stand between you and your family.”

“You're not!”, assured Sander hastily. “It's just so overwhelming, I mean, they share a whole life that I missed out on and they're so close and I'm like an outsider looking in through the window and I'm just not... comfortable moving in with them. I want to get to know them better, I want to spend time with them and all, I want them to be my parents, but I just... don't want to live with them. I don't want everything so... close. I want to stay with you, please. I like the way things are.”

“Okay”, nodded Donny, a tender smile on his lips. “I'd like that. Yeah. And since I'm a carrier and a crown prince, I'll need a lot of protection, so maybe an additional knight to Herc as my bodyguard would be sufficient. I'll talk about this with father in the morning.”

“Mh?”, grunted Sander, not quite following.

“You could become _my_ knight, really mine. My bodyguard”, explained Donny with a grin.

“Oh. Oh, that would be even better!”, exclaimed Sander enthusiastically.

Donny laughed and scooted over some. “Come on up here. I told you you don't have to sit on the floor all the time. You're entitled to use furniture, you know.”

“Yeah, but that's your _bed_ ”, mumbled Sander, beet red.

“Well, I figure this conversation will be a long one, so...”, drawled Donny.

“What conversation?”, asked Sander, confused again.

“I want to hear _everything_ about how it went with your parents”, prompted Donny.

Sander smiled brightly and climbed onto the bed, getting comfortable with a pillow on his lap to hug before he started to tell Donny every little detail he had now learned about his parents, even though Donny most likely already knew all of it. But Donny liked to listen anyways.


	12. In the Royal Gardens

_Chapter 12: In the Royal Gardens_

"This is... beautiful", whispered Sam in awe, looking around.

Derek and Trend had already settled down together, watching amused how Sam turned around and around to see everything. The horses had brought them to the farthest part of the palace – the rose garden. The three royal gardeners were chuckling to themselves too before joining Derek and Trend. Two of the gardeners were Grover and Juniper Underwood, a nice, married couple who had been working here ever since Nico had been a prince. The third was Katie, the wife of one of the royal librarians. Derek knew them pretty well, because he had always loved sneaking out from the boring meetings his father and King Nico had, rather exploring the gardens. He had spend a lot of his time as a child with Grover and Juniper and the flowers.

"So, that's the chosen one?", asked Juniper curiously, looking Sam up and down. "Cute."

"You have no idea", smiled Derek, leaning against Trend. "Come and join us, sweetheart!"

"Coming, master", called Sam back and turned to them.

Derek patted Trend's lap when Sam was looking around a little lost because the stone-circle-bench was already occupied. Sam blushed a little, but he reluctantly took a seat on Trend's lap, the blonde's arms sneaking around his waist to hold him. Derek laid one hand onto Sam's thigh, rubbing circles with his thumb to relax the carrier a little. Sam was soon distracted by the beautiful flowers, bathed in the moonlight. The whole scene was beautiful.

"So... did you get tested already?", asked Katie after a moment, looking at Sam.

"Mh?", grunted the slave confused, blinking a couple of times.

"Our healers are pretty amazing, they made a mixture of herbs that colors the urine blue, reacting with the hormones of a pregnancy", explained Grover amused. "It's very accurate and you don't have to waste weeks to wait until you show symptoms of pregnancy."

"Uhm... I—I...", started Sam and frowned, hiding a little in Trend's arms.

"We haven't had sex yet", declared Derek, caressing Sam's thigh soothingly.

"Why not, if I may ask?", questioned Juniper curiously.

"Because I want Sammy to be completely comfortable with us before we do any such thing", stated Derek, cocking one eyebrow. "That aside, I'm sixteen. I'm not dieing to be a father by tomorrow."

"You're also a king and last of your bloodline", pointed Katie out.

"It's not like I will let anything happen to Derek", growled Trend with a glare.

"And I, as the king, decide when I'll have an heir", declared Derek, leaving no room for argument.

/break\

"I—I can't do this", rambled Sander nervously, pacing the room.

Donny was laying on his stomach on his bed, his face supported by his hands as he watched Sander with a smile on his lips. Sander had been pacing for about ten minutes now, chanting and whining. It was adorable, really. Today, Sander's training in the Royal Guard would start. Sander was in his armor – gods, he looked so handsome in the shiny, silver-black armor. Donny had been blushing for about five minutes straight when Phyl and Thea had helped Sander into the armor.

"Sander", whispered Donny and sat up. "You'll do fine. Come on, I'll come with you, mh?"

"No!", exclaimed Sander wide-eyed and stared at Donny.

"Uhm... okay. Trying not to be hurt", muttered Donny skeptically, cocking one eyebrow.

"No, no, no, that's not how I meant it!", stammered Sander embarrassed. "I just... don't want you there to see how I make a complete fool of myself. They're all trained knights and I'm just a slave. I won't be able to keep up with them and it'll be embarrassing a—and I don't want you to see..."

Donny bit his lips to keep from cooing. Sander was the most adorable thing ever.

"You won't embarrass yourself", whispered Donny firmly and stood. "I know you can do this. And you really should get going or else you'll be late on your first day, San."

"Oh. Yes. Don't want to disappoint father", mumbled Sander with a frown.

Donny blinked amused as he watched Sander dashing off. The boy was really too cute to be true. Still, he wanted to support Sander, so he left his chambers too. He was so going to watch, because even if Sander embarrassed himself, Donny wanted to be there for him. But before he left for the gardens, he went over to Derek's chambers, knocking on the door before entering right away. He grinned to himself when he found Trend, Derek and Sam on the king's bed. Trend had both Derek and Sam on his lap, each of the brunettes having their heads resting on his chest while the blonde tried to read. Derek and Sam seemed still to be asleep.

"Morning", whispered Donny, smiling softly. "So... he's sleeping in your bed now, mh?"

"Apparently", nodded Trend amused, putting his book away. "I think he's warming up to us. He fell asleep after our ride to the gardens last night and I couldn't pry him off of me."

"Maybe Derek is right, he is cute", mused Donny with a grin.

"Cute and _ours_ ", huffed Derek and yawned. "Don't get any ideas, di Angelo."

"I am not interested in Sam", chuckled Donny and shook his head. "Though I came to get him."

"He's asleep", pointed Derek out, looking into the peaceful face of Sam.

"How is _he_ supposed to be asleep with all of you talking?", mumbled a sleepy voice.

"Cheeky", stated Derek with a grin and leaned over to push a strand of hair out of Sam's face. "Good morning, my sweetheart. How are you feeling? You were asleep so fast last night."

"It was an exhausting day, master", yawned Sam and stretched some. "With training and riding... But I enjoyed it a lot. And the garden was beautiful. Thank you for it, masters. It was... good."

"Anything to make you happy, darling", grinned Derek, caressing Sam's cheek.

"If you're done with the cooing and cuddling, I'd like to ask Sam if he wants to accompany me", interrupted Donny amused. "Today is Sander's first day of training with the Royal Guard and... uhm, well, I don't know if that's going to be uncomfortable for you because you can't train, but I thought maybe you'd like to come to support Sander because he's really, really nervous."

"Sure!", exclaimed Sam and sat up, before turning back to his masters. "Uhm... can I?"

"Of course, my sweetheart", smiled Derek and leaned in to kiss Sam's cheek. "Have fun."

Sam blushed a little at the intimate gesture and crawled out of the bed. Donny giggled a little. It was adorable to watch how Sam fell more and more for them with every day. He grabbed Sam's hand and pulled the other carrier along. Outside, Donny brought Sam to a table observing the training area. Nearly as soon as the two sat down, a servant brought them tea.

"So...", started Sam, grabbing his cup of tea and staring into it. "I owe you an apology."

"What for?", asked Donny confused, scanning the ranks of soldiers to find his Sander.

"For lashing out on you when you brought me here", whispered Sam softly. "I was wrong."

"Really?", asked Donny intrigued, smiling a little to himself.

"It... is better here than with Trader Leroy", nodded Sam slowly. "I think... I actually like my masters. They keep doing all those nice things for me, like they... actually care."

"Because they do. They care for you a lot", replied Donny simply. "I'd even say they love you."

"No, they don't", snorted Sam and shook his head. "They can't. Don't be stupid."

"I love the way you keep insulting me", huffed Donny amused. "You're very different. I do believe that it's more than possible that they can fall in love with you, Sam."

"Well, then they shouldn't", stated Sam with a frown. "Oh, there's Sander!"

Donny sighed, but he obeyed and dropped the topic. Instead, he rather focused on how adorable Sander was while being highly concentrated and listening to everything his instructor said. He did have a lot of trouble keeping up with the others, but his father helped him. Donny smiled. This was also a good way of bonding for father and son, it appeared. And Chris Rodriguez looked so proud whenever Sander did something right. Donny was so incredibly happy for Sander, but out of the corner of his eyes, he could also see something wistful in Sam's eyes as he watched them.

"You miss it a lot, huh? The training and all?", whispered Donny thoughtful.

"Imagine you'd have to give up that one thing you enjoy most, the one thing that gave your life purpose and then tell me if you'd miss it or not", muttered Sam with a glare.

"Point taken", chuckled Donny. "Well, maybe you could find something new?"

"I'm a _carrier_. There's not much I'm allowed to do", muttered Sam with another glare.

"Well, but if you _could_ ", sighed Donny, waving his arms around a little. "Be more creative and less stubborn. What do you like doing? You know, Derek is willing to do a lot to make you happy."

"Swords. Fighting. Combat. Riding. And swimming", replied Sam before pausing. "And cooking."

Donny grinned amused, watching the blush rise on Sam's cheeks. "Cooking? Would you mind teaching me some? Mother always says I should learn how to cook, to be a good wife and stuff. Even though a queen does have cooks for that, but mom says it just looks better."

Sam frowned for a second. Then again, if he was with the crown prince, he surely could, right?

/break\

"I've missed this", murmured Derek, stretched out in post-orgasmic bliss.

"The sex?", asked Trend teasingly, caressing Derek's sides.

"That too", laughed Derek and leaned up for a kiss. "No, just being with you. I mean, I love our little sweetheart, but I missed my Trend-time. Just you and me, not having to worry about the little darling and what he's been through. Not that I don't worry all the time, but... it's nice to relax again."

"I know what you mean", assured Trend softly, pulling Derek closer.

"Though he could return any time now...", frowned Derek annoyed. "He's been gone for an awfully long time now. I wonder what Donny is doing with our sweetheart."

"Let's get showered and then check on them, mh?", whispered Trend, kissing Derek lightly.

"Sounds like a plan", agreed Derek and got up.

After all, he didn't want to be naked and smell like sex when their sweetheart returned. It would send the wrong message. Not now – now that Sam was opening up some and seeking contact with them willingly. That aside, showers were incredibly refreshing. Especially with Trend scrubbing his back and kissing his neck. Mh, Derek basically loved everything that involved Trend. More so even when it involved Trend and bare skin. Turning around, Derek kissed his blonde passionately.

"I love you", whispered the young king. "Very much."

"I love you too", replied Trend a little startled.

He grabbed a towel and started drying his lover off, marveling at Derek's body, tracing every curve. And while he dried himself off, he watched how Derek got dressed. Once both of them were decent again – at least when it came to clothes, because Derek's mind was never decent, Trend knew that from experience – they left their bathroom again. Just to be surprised. Trend blinked a couple of times, one arm wound around Derek's waist, as he stared over at their bed. Sam was sitting on it, grinning broadly. The carrier was surrounded by trays of delicious-smelling food.

"You brought lunch", observed Derek curiously. "How very thoughtful of you, sweetheart."

"I _made_ lunch", corrected Sam, if possible grinning even more now. "Donny took me to the kitchen, wanted me to teach him some. We spend like three hours in there. He made a real mess, but I guess his is edible too. At least I hope so, because otherwise Sander will die of food-poisoning..."

"You... made all of this?", asked Trend a little stunned. "That's an awful lot of food."

"Oh please, I saw how much you can pack away", huffed Sam with one cocked eyebrow.

"You made lunch _for us_ ", elaborated Derek surprised and sat down on the bed.

"Uhm... Well...", started Sam, his grin faltering a little as he grew more unsure. "Unless you don't want it... I just thought it would be a nice idea, I guess, but I get if you'd rather..."

"Oh! Sweetheart, it was a lovely idea, I didn't mean it like that!", exclaimed Derek hastily. "I'm just a little surprised. I... didn't expect it. Trend, come here and sit down with us."

The blonde huffed annoyed, but still obeyed. After all, the delicious smell alone was enough to draw him in. Sam blushed a little self-consciously as his two masters came to sit with him. He had never cooked for others, always only more so for himself. He just hoped they'd like it. Why, he couldn't fathom. But he wanted to do something good, to earn their praise.

"There is an awful lot of bacon here", observed Trend as he took a date wrapped in bacon.

"Yes!", exclaimed Sam, his eyes sparkling. "It's _delicious_. Donny gave it to me. It tastes like heaven. I had to try lots of things with it. I've never eaten anything like it."

Derek grinned to himself, noting that apparently bacon was Sam's favorite food. Excited and happy Sam was something utterly adorable and Derek totally could get used to it. The three of them devoured nearly all of it within the next hour or so, just enjoying the good food.

/break\

Donny was blushing furiously as he sat at the table in his room, then stood and walked around it before sitting down again. Then he paced some more. The food was getting cold and Sander still wasn't there. What if he wouldn't come at all? Maybe he had gone out with the other knights? Or had been invited to eat with his parents? It was presumptuous and stupid of him to assume that Sander would return to Donny's chambers. Huffing frustrated, he poked a date with bacon-wrapping before putting it between his lips, sucking a little and licking it.

Which was what Sander saw when he entered. Donny, licking and sucking on a piece of weird-looking food, that beautiful, pink tongue darting out every now and again between the slightly parted rosy lips. Those lips were such a dark shade of rosy though, because of Donny's natural olive-colored skin. It had become Sander's second-favorite color by now. His favorite had always been turquoise, but now that bright and brilliant shade of Donny's eyes had a special place in Sander's heart. Exactly those sea-green eyes stared at him right now, surprised and flustered.

"Sander", mumbled Donny around the date in his mouth, hastily swallowing. "Uhm, hi."

"You were there", accused Sander embarrassed as he slumped down in a chair next to Donny. "Even though I told you I didn't want you to go. And you even dragged Sam along."

Donny ducked a little, one hand in his neck. "I—I'm sorry, Sander. I should have res-"

"Thank you", interrupted Sander softly, looking deep into Donny's eyes. "I thought I would be embarrassed, but it really helped, knowing that... that I had your support."

"Always", assured Donny with a soft smile. "Now, I... uhm... I made dinner, together with Sam. I thought you would be hungry after training. I thought we could maybe eat and you tell me how it went and how well you're getting along with the others and stuff..."

There was that blinding, brilliant smile again, aimed Donny's way as Sander straightened some. "I'm starving! Great! I... But... You cooked yourself? F—For... me?"

"Please try it", pleaded Donny concerned. "I know you think I'm a prince and I shouldn't do certain things, but I wanted to try and cook myself and I'd be very happy if you'd eat it, Sander."

Sander blushed and nodded slowly, staring at the pretty prince. How could he possibly offend the prince by declining, after all? He was reluctant when he took the food though. No one had ever cooked for him. Like, specifically for him. The slaves had gotten the scrapes from the trader.

"Please be good, please be good, please be good...", whispered Donny beneath his breath.

Sander's eyes sparkled amused as he heard that. It was incredible how human Donny was. That he'd really worry about such things. He was so kind and sweet and... wow. A good cook. Sander moaned softly as the taste of the pasta's sauce seemed to explode in his mouth. Donny blushed _furiously_ at the sound. It was nice and deep and tempting. Donny wanted to hear it again.

"Y—You... like it?", asked Donny shyly, blush still prominent on his cheeks.

"It's _awesome_! I've never eaten anything better!", mumbled Sander around a mouth full.

He was literally stuffing his face, much to Donny's delight. The feeling of Sander's praise was as though Donny was floating on a cloud. It actually took effort to concentrate on Sander's words, because all the moaning and gasping and praising were distracting. Also, happy Sander was cute.

/break\

Derek was painfully hard as he was laying on his bed. After dinner, Trend had suggested for him and Sam to train some more, because Sam had told them about Sander's training and there had been that melancholic, yearning look on Sam's face. So right now, Derek had the perfect view on Sam's ass while Sam was straddling Trend's waist, sword pressed against the blonde's throat.

"I win", panted Sam, sounding immensely proud.

His brain froze for a second. He had his sword on Trend's throat, the blonde pinned beneath him. It would only take one clean slice and Trend would be out. He could finish the king within seconds, before even a scream could escape Derek's throat. Out of the window, through the garden and he may even be out of the city before anyone would know what had happened in this room. Onto one of the ships in the harbor and he could start a new life, no one would know he was a carrier. He could get an honorable life back. But... He didn't want to. He didn't want to run away and he _really_ didn't want to hurt either Trend or Derek. That realization actually knocked the air out of him.

"Samuel?", asked Trend reluctantly, eying the sword that was digging into his skin.

He was well-aware of the situation. As well as Sam. He had the same scenario in his head, knew Sam would have an easy time finishing him off now and running. He gulped hard, but Sam just shook his head slowly and cleared his mind. The scenario and any other thought vanishing.

"Do I get a prize for winning, master?", asked Sam cheekily, looking over his shoulder.

The pressure on his sword left some and it would be easy for Trend to knock it out of Sam's hand. Strangely enough that was the reason why Trend didn't knock it out of Sam's hand. Derek cocked his head curiously, looking at the flushed carrier who seemed eager for a praise. And a prize.

"What would you want, sweetheart?", asked Derek interested. "Now get off my Trend, cutie."

"Jealous brat", muttered Trend amused as Sam climbed off him and both stood.

"A... hair-cut", admitted Sam slowly, pulling on one of the shoulder-long strands of peanut-hair.

Derek opened his mouth to ask, but then he closed it again. Right. Only the master decided over any kind of body-alterations, even if it was something as simple as a hair-cut. Smiling brilliantly, Derek nodded and opened his arms widely, motioning for Sam to come. The carrier looked reluctant, but he obeyed and crawled onto the bed to sit in Derek's lap. Trend smiled amused when he noticed the happy look on Sam's face as he snuggled up to Derek, with Derek caressing his hair.

"You did good, little one", whispered Derek, kissing Sam's temple. "I'll ask Sara to cut your hair tomorrow, sweetheart. Under one condition. It won't come off completely, okay? I love how soft it is and I like its color, it'd be a shame if you'd go bald, darling."

"Okay", nodded Sam obediently, getting more comfortable.

/break\

Nico smiled amused as he entered their chambers to find a pouting queen sitting on his bed. Percy had his arms crossed over his large belly, glaring down at it, his lower lip pushed forward.

"My love?", inquired Nico curiously, tilting his head.

"Why won't she come out?!", complained Percy, directing his glare at Nico. "Silena said she should be out by now! Why won't our baby come out to join us?! Doesn't she like us?"

A strained smile spread over Nico's lips as he joined Percy on the bed. His queen was energetic and confident and good at taking care of himself. Being on forced bed-rest because the baby was due any day now, it was driving Percy insane. The carrier was independent and used to doing things himself, but right now, he was feeling useless and that was a feeling Percy Jackson did not like, not even now that he was Percy di Angelo. Laying his arms around Percy's waist, he pulled his queen up against his chest. Percy huffed annoyed, but he still got comfortable.

"She will come when the time is right", assured Nico softly, kissing Percy's earlobe. "Remember how it was with Jack? He came way too early. So... be glad this little one decides to stay in until she's truly ready to face the world. I know it's hard for you, but try to relax, love. It's not good for you and the baby to be so riled up, Percy. Just... lean back and do nothing."

"I don't do _nothing_ ", muttered Percy with a pout. "I don't do sitting still."

"I'm aware of that", deadpanned Nico amused. "It's alright. I'll be with you, my love. We'll do nothing together, mh? Then it won't be as hard on you."

"You have a kingdom to rule", pointed Percy out, albeit reluctant.

"And I have a queen to take care of", countered Nico. "The kingdom won't fall just because I'm not there for a while. My queen however seems short of dieing of boredom without me."

"You make a good point", nodded Percy pleased and leaned up to kiss Nico's chin. "Tell me a story, Nick. Entertain me. Tell me... how you met Reyna for the first time. I know she is your best friend, but she's not exactly from around here, unlike Octavian, Luke, Jason and Annabeth."

Nico smiled slightly and took a deep breath, caressing Percy's hair. "Reyna was a slave from the New World. She was supposed to scrub the floors, but... she was so different. She was a fighter. When I first saw her, when I was... thirteen, I think... I was an outsider. I was the prince so no one really dared to talk to me or anything. But Reyna was different. She didn't give a damn. We soon became friends, but when I noticed how she was treated because she was a slave... I requested my father to put her to other use than scrubbing kitchen-floors. And even though handmaiden was not what she wanted, it was better. Because I allowed her to do more than she had been able to before. When I noticed that she was very clever and good with her hands, I asked Jason, who used to just be my bodyguard back then, to train her. That's how those two got together too."

"So basically, you like taking in strays?", teased Percy with a small smile.

"Says the one who brought us the Stolls 2.0", muttered Nico and rolled his eyes.

"Hunter and Hayden are adorable", protested Percy with a pout. "And Travis and Connor really settled down ever since they adopted the boys. Well, they still pull a lot of pranks and get on people's nerves, but I think they're more well-behaved these days."

"That... is wishful thinking, my dear", deadpanned Nico with a snort.

"Our son however seems to be just like us. He's taking in strays too", smiled Percy softly.

"Mh...", nodded Nico thoughtful, nose buried in Percy's hair.

Percy frowned slightly at the weird expression on Nico's face. "What are you thinking?"

"That there will be heartbreak once Derek and his court leave again", stated Nico softly, brushing his lips against the nap of Percy's neck. "Sander and Sam are like brothers. And Donny... is very smitten with Sander, if Sander would ask it of him, Donny would let him go with Derek."

"But... that would break Donny's heart", observed Percy wide-eyed.

"Yet he'd still do it if that was what Sander wants", whispered Nico with a nod. "Because he's very much like you, my love. He'd do everything to make those he loves happy."

Percy frowned upset. He'd prefer it if Derek and the others could just stay, but Derek was a king, he had to return to his own kingdom. Together with Sam. But it would hurt both Sam and Sander to be separated. Somehow, he dreaded that fateful day already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have Sander accidentally walking in on Donny trying to have a good time on his own. Poor, embarrassed boys. Sammy will witness another blowjob between Trend and Derek, buuut this one... takes quite the different turn. *wiggles eyebrows* Well, expect naughtiness in the next chap!


	13. The Royal Coming

_Chapter 13: The Royal Coming_

Trend and Derek were cuddling on their bed, Derek curled together on Trend's chest. The blonde was carding his fingers through dark curls. They were waiting for Sam and Sara to get out of the bathroom again – the handmaiden was supposed to cut Sam's hair now.

"May I present to you now, the new Sam", announced Sara as she got out first, grinning broadly.

Both boys on the bed blinked in slow-motion when their little carrier entered again. The sides of his head were shaved off, but a one hand broad stripe of peanut-colored hair ran along the middle of his head. The hair that had remained was shorter now, about two inches in length.

"That looks...", started Derek before cooing. "Absolutely adorable! Come here, cutie!"

Sam smiled relieved at that and crawled into the bed to his masters. For a moment, he had feared the others wouldn't like it and he didn't know what to expect then. But apparently his king appreciated the new hair-cut. Once he was sitting on the bed, Trend grabbed him around the waist and pulled him up against the blonde's chest. Sam blushed at the close proximity.

"You look beautiful, Sammy", whispered Trend softly, caressing the newly cut hair.

"Thank you for the praise, I'm proud of my good work too", huffed Sara and rolled her eyes.

"You're dismissed, Sara", nodded Derek absentmindedly, swatting Trend's hand away.

He grinned pleased as he started patting Sam's head, feeling the softness of the hair. Sara smiled fondly as she watched the trio cuddling on the bed. Sam looked so relaxed as he was stuck between Trend and Derek, with the other two caressing his hair and cooing.

/break\

When Donny woke up, he was all alone in his room. It took him a moment to realize what was different. Sander hadn't woken him. Donny had gotten so used to getting woken up by Sander, but Sander wanted to spend the whole day with his family today. So Donny actually got the morning all to himself. What was he supposed to do with himself? Sitting up some, he looked down at the tent his blanket was spotting. Well, there was something he hadn't done in a while and right now, he was having these kind of problems more often than usually. Wet dreams. The first time it had happened, he had felt very embarrassed about it and ran to his mommy, afraid something was wrong with him. It was, up to this day, the most humiliating conversation he had ever held with his mother.

Closing his eyes and relaxing some, he let one hand slip into his pants to grasp his hardness. Moaning softly, he started to stroke himself. He kept having _a lot_ of naughty dreams these days. About Sander, mostly. Sander's sixpack, Sander's arms, Sander's smile, the way Sander moved during training. At first, it had only been those things. Observations. But by now, the dreams and images were far more intense. Sander, holding Donny, kissing Donny, doing... well, a lot of other things to Donny. Things Donny had _never_ before thought about doing with someone else.

He knew how sex worked – yet another embarrassing conversation with his mother, thank you very much – but he had never met someone who had made him want to _try_ those things out.

The thought of having someone inside of him had always scared him, but with Sander, it wasn't a scary thought but rather an enchanting and exciting prospect. He wanted to be close to the sweet, kind and lovable brunette, as close as possible, even if that meant becoming one, in a way.

Caressing his hardness, he imagined it to be Sander's hands on his body, Sander's lips upon his own lips in a surely sweet and delicious kiss. Feeling the heat of Sander's body close by.

/break\

Nico stood in the doorway, watching fondly how his beloved queen was sitting on his bed, playing some kind of card-game, together with his midwife Silena, his handmaiden Piper, his adviser Annabeth and his best friend Leo. After the dinner party, Leo had started coming over more often, which was very much appreciated with Nico. The king was concerned for his queen, knowing that being coped up in his room was driving the hyperactive carrier crazy.

"Hah! I win again!", declared Leo excitedly, doing a little happy-dance as he threw his cards down. "You so stand no chance against little, awesome me! Woo-woo!"

"That's not fair! You so cheated!", countered Piper with a pout.

"I demand another round!", huffed Percy, pouting a bit too. "I'm the _queen_ , you're supposed to let me win! Or else, I'll throw you all into the dungeon."

"Of course, seaweed brain", laughed Annabeth fondly, ruffling his hair.

"I _so_ would!", gasped Percy. "Do you doubt your queen?!"

"By no means, your grace", snickered Piper amused.

"Shush, let's get this game going. I'm on a roll", decided Leo and gathered all cards again.

Nico smiled to himself and just wanted to enter, but then he felt a tugging on his arm. He came face to face with his own adviser and the head of the royal healers. Octavian looked oddly serious as he motioned for Nico to follow him. Nodding slowly, the king did as requested.

"Octavian?", inquired the olive-skinned man when they reached the personal quarters.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Whatever Danny says is not true!"

Nico blinked and stepped back as a little blonde came running up, colliding face-first with Octavian's stomach. She looked up at him with large, blue eyes, looking all the innocent kid that she claimed to be. But when her older sister Danny followed them, the frown on Danny's face was more than an indication that the innocence was feigned.

"She was drawing on my notes! _Again_!", exclaimed Danny irritated. "How am I supposed to finish my studies if I have unicorns dancing on my pictures of the human heart?!"

Octavian frowned and knelt down in front of his younger daughter. "Elizabeth. You know you're not supposed to draw on our important scrolls. Please go to your room. You'll stay there until dinner."

The fourteen-years old huffed, but obeyed. Danny still looked annoyed, at least until she spotted the scrolls her father was carrying and the fact that the king was with him.

"Oh. Uhm, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll be outside, I'm meeting with Nico", said Danny softly.

Nico frowned. So Leo had brought his firstborn with him to the palace? The blonde girl left and Octavian turned toward his king, serious as ever. Nico didn't like it, not one bit.

"Percy is overdue", stated Octavian as he sat down.

"I'm well-aware of that", sighed Nico annoyed. "He's practically constantly complaining about it."

"You don't understand", countered Octavian gravely. "If the baby won't come on its own and soon, both your queen and your heir are in grave danger. Carrying the child that much longer than he's supposed to, can be deadly for both of them. If he hadn't given birth by next week, I'd recommend surgery. I already spoke to Will Solace about this option."

Nico stiffened. Surgery was dangerous. It was an option to get the child out of its mother, but in ninety percent of the cases, the mothers died of infection weeks later, if not during the surgery itself.

"Percy will be alright", declared Nico evenly.

"I do hope so too", agreed Octavian. "However, if you don't act, you may lose them both."

"If I act, I may lose Percy. And I can never lose Percy", stated Nico seriously.

/break\

Sander was humming contently to himself as he hurried back to Donny's chambers this morning. He wanted to spend the day with his parents and sister, but it was his job and privilege to wake Donny up in the morning. So after a short, nice tea with his parents, he told them he'd have to go back for a little and see to their prince. Now, armed with a tray of cookies and two hot chocolates, he was heading back to his prince's chambers to wake Donny and tell him how nice breakfast with his parents had been, how proud he was of being a big brother now. But he didn't want to startle Donny awake, so he entered through his own room. Though once inside and once the door to the hall was closed, he paused. There were sounds – whimpers and soft moans – coming from the prince's bedroom. Hastily putting the tray of small breakfast down, he rushed into the other room, thinking his beloved prince was hurt and in pain. He couldn't let his Donny be in pain!

"Are you alri-", started Sander, panic in his voice.

He only made it two steps into the room before he stumbled and froze. Donny was definitely not in pain, he rather looked like he was in a lot of pleasure. Rosy lips were swollen from Donny biting them to keep the moans in, just like he was doing now, but it didn't work very well seeing as the little sounds continued. One hand was laying on his olive-toned chest, the robes pushed up to reveal all that delicious skin, the fingers twirling one of the dusty-pink nipple. The little knob was so cute and hard as it was being twisted by nimble fingers. The other hand was down Donny's pants, obviously jerking the prince's cock. Sander's head nearly exploded with all the blood flooding it.

"Oh my gods, Sander!", exclaimed Donny wide-eyed and humiliated as he noticed the brunette.

He sat up, gaping at Sander, hastily removing his hands from his body as though he had been doing something illegal. Sander just stood there, staring bewildered and embarrassed. And aroused. Donny's eyes were drawn to the obvious tent in Sander's robes.

"I—I'm so sorry, my prince, I didn't mean—I shouldn't have—I should go!", stammered Sander.

"N—No, I... It's not your fault", interrupted Donny hastily. "I mean, you don't need to apologize. We never really established a rule about knocking and stuff... If anything, I am sorry for putting you into this awkward situation, Sander. Really."

They stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Sander's eyes wandered over the tempting picture of Donny with swollen lips, still panting a little, nipples hard and still revealed, pants sporting a tent. This was going to haunt him for many sleepless nights.

"I—I... I'll leave you to, uh, it. I'm sorry for interrupting, my prince", mumbled Sander red-faced as he returned to his own chambers and closed the door rather firmly.

Like Donny could finish jerking off with Sander in the next room. His ears were on fire as he stood to head to the bathroom and take a rare, cold shower to get the hormones out of his system for now. Scratch the conversation with mom about sex, _this_ was the most awkward situation of his life.

/break\

Sam smiled as he walked the hall with Jimmy on one hand and Silly on the other. The twins were babbling on and one, one started and the other finished the sentence so by now Sam had completely lost count on who was telling him what. The way those two were in synch was scary.

"Slow down some, you two", laughed Sam amused. "I don't understand a single word."

"Your hair looks amazing!", gasped Silly, staring up at him adoringly.

"I wanna have a haircut like that too! Do you think mommy will allow it?", asked Jimmy.

"I somehow doubt that", smiled Sam, ruffling both their hair.

"Will you play with us, Sam?", inquired Jimmy hopefully.

"I dunno. But you two are supposed to have breakfast with your family now", stated Sam, acting thoughtful. "But perhaps we can play later, if you behave and ask your mother."

"Yes!", cheered Silly, hugging his midsection. "I really, really, really like you!"

A small smile played on Sam's lips as he patted her head. "I really, really, really like you two too."

And he did. Those two kids were so adorable. They were the kind of kids he wanted too. He waved them goodbye as they headed to the dining hall for the royal family's breakfast. He briefly wondered if his own king was already in the dining hall too. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry himself, so he decided to return to Derek's chambers for now. If the king was still there, he'd go to breakfast with Derek and Trend. If they were already eating, they would probably bring something with them for Sam for later. Slipping into his bedroom through its separate door. He was still rather excited about the reactions he had gotten for his new haircut – Derek and Trend seemed to really like it and when he had met Sander in the kitchen earlier, the brunette had complimented him on it, when he had run into the twins after that, they had started throwing a fuss about how awesome it was. This kind of praise made his cheeks feel hot and a grin spread over his lips.

"Come _on_ , Sammy said he'd go out and help with the breakfast. If he met anyone on the way, he may be gone for like an hour or so. Let's use the time good", pleased Derek's voice.

Sam tilted his head curiously as he walked over to the door connecting his bedroom to the king's. By the looks of it, they were going at it again, trying to use the time of Sam being gone. Well, they couldn't know that Sam had been kicked out of the kitchen by the bossy cook, leaving again not ten minutes after entering, together with a chipper Sander who had gotten cookies and hot chocolate for his prince. Stepping closer, he peeked through the slightly open door. Derek was straddling Trend's waist, kissing along the blonde's jawline. The brunette was naked as he obviously tried to seduce his blonde lover, but the adviser seemed more interested in his book. Sam started to think that half the time, Trend only pretended so to annoy the impatient king because it gave him a kick to rile Derek up. Licking his dry lips, Sam took another step, nose pressed against the door.

"Babe, not now", grunted Trend annoyed. "You know I'm trying to keep up with those things so I can actually be _useful_ to you, my king. If you keep jumping me every time we do get a peaceful minute to ourselves, I'll never be up to speed with these trading contracts."

"Urgh, I hate when you're cockblocking me with being responsible", groaned Derek.

He had a cute pout on his lips as he collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His cock between his legs was pointing up into the same direction, quite the proud appendage. Sam's face flushed. The last time he had accidentally watched them, Trend's body had been covering it. But now he got a close enough look. It was thick and looked rather eager for some action. Sam licked his lips.

"I know you're trying to avoid the fact that you're the king now, love", whispered Trend softly, decidedly not looking up from his book. "But _I_ can't. Why don't I jerk you off and we get back on topic and I'll teach you who our major trading partners are?"

"Great compromise", muttered Derek, looking not very keen and very put down.

"I could take care of it."

It wasn't even possible to say which one of them was more startled by this – Sam, who couldn't believe that those words had left his mouth, Trend, who was surprised to see the brunette yet again spying on them, or Derek, who hadn't expected Sam to say anything remotely close to _that_. But here they were, Sam half stumbling into the room, looking startled by his own words and rather unsure now that he was facing his two masters. Trend and Derek stared at him, stunned.

"Sweetheart, I told you don't have to do those things", chided Derek, covering himself.

There it was – Derek kindly offering Sam an easy out of the awkward situation he had just thrown himself into. And there he was – having his mouth once again running away from him.

"I know", said Sam before he could stop himself. "B—But I'm offering."

That actually got Trend to put his book aside and blink surprised. Derek was gripping the sheets so hard, his knuckles turned white. The blonde knew how much Derek wanted this, wanted Sam.

"A—Are you... serious?", asked Derek stunned. "Do you really _want_ to?"

Sam wasn't looking him in the eyes though, he was staring at Derek's erection, hidden beneath the blanket, completely enchanted by this. And he knew he did. He wanted this, wanted him, them. Watching Derek and Trend had turned him on so much, being spanked by Trend had been an experience he found himself wanting to repeat. This cock he had just seen, it looked so fascinating, he wanted to taste it, to touch it. He wanted to make Derek feel the way Trend had made him feel when Sam had watched them. He wanted to be the one to pleasure the king, make him moan like that. Derek was kind to him, patient with him, sweet around him. Sam wanted to pay him back, but it was also so much more than just payback. He wanted to experience this in a _pleasurable_ way and seeing Trend and Derek together, it had actually looked like fun, like something enjoyable.

"Y—Yes", nodded the slave, licking his lips. "I—I mean, you don't have to let me. I never did this before, it's probably going to be awful and I may scratch you and-"

"Stop it, sweetheart", laughed Derek, eyes sparkling. "I'd like this, but only if you're one hundred percent sure that it's what you want. I don't want to force you, Sammy. If you're uncomfortable or if it'll become too much, then we can stop right away, is that okay, Sam?"

"Y—Yes", agreed Sam, a little relieved. "Thanks. So... uhm... what do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you want", chuckled Derek amused, cocking one eyebrow. "You said you want to try this, so... have fun and I'll be your playground, sweetheart."

Taking a shaky breath, Sam crawled onto the bed as Derek pushed the blanket away. Derek was even more beautiful all up close. Sam's cheeks heated up as he drank in the sight of his king. He had seen Derek before, when he had been a prince, on meetings at the castle when he himself still had been a general. And even back then, the natural beauty of the prince had enchanted him.

"You, go back to your book", teased Derek as he noticed Trend's intense eyes. "If you don't have time to suck me off, you don't have time to leer at us now, mister."

The blonde huffed and stared at Derek ridiculed, like he was trying to say _Do I look like I'll be passing this show?_ And Derek understood. This was a new and interesting twist. Sam shifted nervously where he was sitting between Derek's legs, tentatively touching the hardness, earning a little gasp from Derek, which in return startled Sam a little. His eyes searched Derek's, looking for approval. The face-splitting grin on Derek's lips as he laid in the sheets was a telltale. Sam laid down, in front of the hard cock, looking at it fascinated while tracing the veins on it with tentative fingers. He had never gotten such a close look on another cock before. It twitched and Sam jumped, startled once again. Trend chuckled fondly as he watched the curious little kitten, because that was what Sam reminded him of. A young kitten that was exploring a new territory on unsteady paws but still with the regular grace only cats possessed. Derek gasped as the rosy lips embraced him. Sam hummed once and pulled back again, blinking surprised.

"But that's rather big", pointed Sam out, thoughtful. "How is it going to fit without me biting it?"

"Try covering your teeth with your lips", advised Trend, smiling gently at the other boy.

Sam nodded in understanding, tilting his head as he tried again, this time fitting more of Derek in and earning a louder sound from his king. Sam pulled away again, which made Derek groan in frustration. But the king didn't say a word, leaving Sam to explore at his own pace. Sam leaned in again, not to take it into his mouth this time but to lick and nibble it. He gave it little cat-licks and went all around it once, from the top to the bottom and back, placing kisses along it.

"It's so... different", whispered Sam in awe. "Do you think I can fit it all in?"

"I don't-", started Trend wide-eyed, wanting to warn the boy.

But before he could finish the sentence, Sam already had Derek down his throat. He gave a strangled gasp at the for him new experience, but much to Trend's surprise, he didn't pull back this time. Instead, he took a moment to enjoy it before he started to tentatively bob his head.

"F—Fuck", groaned Derek, head thrown back in pleasure.

"I'll never get any studying done with you two around", muttered Trend beneath his breath.

Sam's pace increased as he eagerly deepthroated his king, but before Derek could come, he pulled back again, gasping for breath. He was flushed as he licked his lips and went back to licking and kissing along the shaft. For the grand finale, he started to kiss the head and lick along the slit. With a loud moan did Derek come, all over Sam's face, startling the the slave. Derek was panting and gasping for breath as he stared at the ridiculously enchanting picture of a flushed, wide-eyed Sam, covered in his cum. That would be enough to make him come, if not for the fact he just had an orgasm. Sam blinked a couple of times and licked his lips, tasting the salty quality of the cum.

"D—did... uhm... did you like it, master?", asked Sam shyly.

"If I...?", started Derek stunned, blinking slowly. " _Yes_ , fuck yes, I liked it a lot, sweetheart. Come here., you did great. It was amazing, babe. Thanks for that, Sammy."

Sam flushed even darker and smiled brightly at the praise. Trend had to smile at that. It was as though Sam's goal had been to please the king and that was cute in a completely new way.

"What about you?", inquired Trend as he scooted closer and started caressing Sam's hair.

"I liked it too", admitted the carrier a bit embarrassed. "I liked the sounds I could make you do."

"That's so adorable", cooed Derek with a laugh, leaning in to kiss Sam out of reflex.

He froze once their lips met and wanted to pull back, feeling like he was going too far now. But when he opened his eyes wide and made to pull back, he noticed that Sam had his eyes closed and wasn't even attempting to move. So Derek stayed and moved his lips slowly. Sam moved with him, leaning into the kiss. Smiling softly, Derek laid his arms around Sam's waist.

"I actually meant to ask; What about your own hard-on", stated Trend amused.

"Oh. That. Uhm...", mumbled Sam as he and Derek parted.

"Would you like me to return the favor?", asked Derek amused, wiping some cum off Sam's cheek.

"What? No!", exclaimed Sam wide-eyed and scandalized. "You're the _king_ , you can't do those things, not to a slave like me, no. That's completely inappropriate."

"Would you like _me_ to return the favor in his stead then?", offered Trend with a smirk.

Sam's red face and the way his eyes lit up with want was all the answer needed. Trend cautiously adjusted Sam to lay on the bed, the blonde's movement was slow and tender, giving Sam the chance to bolt at any second. The carrier didn't look relaxed at all, but then Derek pulled him against his chest, holding onto Sam and kissing his neck in a calming manner. Within moments, he was naked. Surprised, little sounds escaped his throat at the new experience of lips upon his skin and a mouth around his cock. It was utterly exciting and different for Sam. Never before had anyone brought pleasure to _him_. All Leroy had ever done was to _take_. But Trend was giving and it felt so incredible. The warmth and the tender touch, the cunning tongue wrapping around his arching hardness. Sam was mildly embarrassed at how fast he came and he was plenty embarrassed that he came inside the blonde's mouth, but his embarrassment reached a whole, new level when Trend just swallowed it and smiled at Sam amused. Exhausted by his own orgasm did Sam collapse against his king, who was holding him, _catching him_. Trend climbed back up to join them, embracing them both.

/break\

All the while, Sander and Donny were still in their respective chambers, blushing furiously and trying to find a way to talk to each other. They were bathing in their individual embarrassment.

"S—Sander?", asked Donny unsure as he gathered all his courage.

"Yes, my prince?", called Sander back, face beet red as he faced the door.

"I just want you to know that it's... uhm... alright", continued Donny, not certain where he was going with this. "I mean, you didn't mean to walk in on me and I'm sorry for putting you into this awkward position, but _please_ talk to me and stop hiding. I don't want things awkward between us."

Taking a deep breath, Sander stood and entered Donny's chambers. "Yes. You're right. I'm sorry. I... uhm, I'll continue blushing for a while longer though. Uhm... shall we go to breakfast...?"

"Yes", smiled Donny brightly as he stood. "Let's go and get breakfast."

Sander was blushing furiously as he walked to the dining hall with his prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have the birth of Hazel Pandora, a lot of angst and also a lot of family fluff and comfort-cuddles!


	14. The Royal Baby

_Chapter 14: The Royal Baby_

Sander and Donny were saved from an awkward afternoon of staring at each other and blushing in embarrassment. Granted, the way they were saved was sort of awkward and embarrassing too.

"Wait, wait, wait. Slow down, Sam", requested Sander, lifting his hands up. "What happened? You had his _what_ in your mouth?! I'll go over there and tear it off right now!"

Donny blinked a couple of times, staring in awe at how incredibly hot angry, protective Sander was. He could use more of that. Definitely. The way those soft, brown eyes darkened with anger, with the need to protect someone he held dear. Donny wanted to be that someone. He really did. Not that he wished anything bad would happen to him, but he wanted to be the one Sander was concerned for.

"No! Don't tear it off!", exclaimed Sam wide-eyed, grabbing Sander by the hands. "I—I asked him to. I wanted it. He didn't force me, Sander. Please don't do something stupid."

"You... promise me he didn't hurt you?", asked Sander slowly, looking at Sam seriously.

"Promise", whispered Sam, looking up at Sander pleadingly.

"So... Why are you here then?", asked Sander, now more confused than angry.

"B—Because I wanted to talk about it", answered Sam, blushing a little. "I mean, it was the... uh... first time I did something like that. With someone... someone... I—I... like..."

"You _like_ Derek?", gasped Donny, scrambling closer. "Come on, sit down! I want details!" Both Sander and Sam stared at him a little surprised. "What? I like gossip. Gimme gossip."

Sam flushed as he and Sander sat down on Donny's bed, the prince eager and curious. "W—Well, uhm, I... My masters were making out again and, uhm... Trend was too busy with studies, so the king was being kind of... pouty... A—And I just... offered, without even thinking about it. They told me I could get out if it got too much... B—But it was actually good... I mean, it was weird, having this hard, warm penis in my mouth, but my king was making all those cute and praising noises..."

"What did it taste like?", asked Donny eagerly, leaning in some.

Sam laughed amused, shaking his head. "Weird. Kinda. All warm and salty and strange..."

"So, you like Der then?", inquired Donny, tilting his head interested.

"I—I... he's... a good master and he... let me do it at my pace. And afterward, Trend gave me head and he was... so good. No one ever did anything for _my_ pleasure. I mean, when... when the trader took me, I _never_ came. It was over so fast and all it did was hurt. He never even cared. But they focused on me, solemnly on me. Just to make me come. And then they caught me and hugged me and... it was... I've never felt so special in my whole life, I think. It was amazing."

"Sounds a little bit like you're falling in love with them", chimed Donny teasingly, looking at Sander. "What do you think? I think it sounds like they're falling in love."

"I think you're right, my prince", nodded Sander, looking sheepishly at Sam. "Sorry, but he's right."

"I—I am _not_ stupid enough to fall in love with my masters!", exclaimed Sam irritated.

Any further interrogations were interrupted as the door burst open and Thess stumbled in. "Donny! We're going to be big brothers! Mom just went into labor! Come, come, come, come, come!"

Donny stared wide-eyed, not moving for a moment, until Sam and Sander shoved him. "Move!"

"Y—Yes. Right", nodded Donny, stumbling toward his younger brother.

Sander and Sam exchanged a grin as they watched Donny and Thess leave hastily.

/break\

Sander had left for training with the knights and Sam, a little bored, walked to the kitchen. Cooking a little while not thinking about anything. Or at least trying. All his thoughts were centered on Derek and Trend and the possibility of maybe-perhaps developing some kind of feelings, kinda.

"You're distracted", noted the head-librarian who liked to sneak into the kitchen for cookies.

"No, Miss Rachel, I'm just... Yeah, I am", sighed Sam, grinning sheepishly.

Rachel was a gorgeous redheaded woman, very kind and patient. Also quite artistic. Sam had spend some time watching her paint, totally amazed by her talent. It was how they had first talked to each other. Now she was sitting up on the table, looking him up and down critically. Then she smiled.

"Don't worry. Everything will work out for you, Sam", offered Rachel cryptically.

"Right", grunted Sam confused, cocking one eyebrow. "Anyway, I baked those awesome cookies for my king, so I'll just go and save them before you eat them all, Miss Rachel."

He had spend the last three hours baking his mom's favorite cookies, as a kind of 'thank you' for last night and now that they were ready, he had to save them. Apparently, word about Sam's kitchen-abilities had already traveled through out the palace. Gathering his cookies, he hastily left.

Smiling to himself, he made his way back to his room. He felt so at ease after what had happened last night. The release really had made him feel better. So Derek and Trend deserved delicious cookies. But before he could reach the chambers, he heard a loud commotion coming from Donny's chambers. Was the young prince already back? Was the _baby_ there? Eager to meet the newest member of the royal family, Sam decided to take a detour. What he found inside was not entirely what he had expected, if he was being honest here. Donny was laying on his bed, in the middle. He was holding onto a tight, little bundle, with Jackie on his lap, Silly left and Jimmy right.

"What's wrong?", asked Sam concerned as he noted the dark mood and Donny's puffy eyes.

Red-rimmed and with dry traces of tears. Sam did not like where this was going. Approaching slowly, he placed the tray of cookies on the bed, offering them to the youngest ti Angelos.

"Look, we have a baby sister", said Silly softly, looking happy but sad at the same time.

"Her name is Hazel Pandora", added Donny, voice tight with previous tears. "Father gave her to me, said I should watch over my younger siblings, while he's staying with mother..."

"Mommy's not well", mumbled Jimmy, taking a cookie. "Daddy says mommy hasn't woken up yet... So daddy is staying with him to make sure mommy gets better soon."

Sam gulped hard and turned to Donny, motioning for the crown prince to follow him out for a second. Donny took a shaky breath and pushed Jack off his lap before following Sam outside. Closing the door, Sam got his first real look at the newborn princess. Olive-skin and already the lightest turf of black hair on her head. Smiling a little, Sam poked the baby's cheek. She opened her eyes, staring up at him curiously with startling eyes. The right eye was sea-green and the left one was a deep, dark brown. Sam had never seen someone with two differently colored eyes.

"She's pretty", whispered Sam, poking her other cheek and making her giggle. "So, your mom?"

"Lost a lot of blood. It was a complicated birth, that's what Octavian said", whispered Donny, staring down at his baby sister, holding her tightly. "D—Dad asked me to watch over the little ones. I—If mom dies, he wants to be with h—him... s—so mamma doesn't h—have to d—die alone..."

A heart-breaking sob wrecked Donny's body and Sam hastily took the baby from the prince before wrapping his free arm around Donny and pulling him into a hug. Because that prince _needed_ a hug. Donny started crying and clung to the slave, face buried in Sam's neck.

"You should go", whispered Sam softly. "If these are your mother's last moments, you have to be there for both of them, because your dad needs someone to hold him too. And you should not miss it. Go on, I'll babysit the brats. Pardon me, the young princes and princesses."

"Naw, they kind of are brats", whispered Donny with the smallest grin. "T—Thank you, Sam."

"No problem, my prince", smiled Sam, nudging Donny a little. "Your mom will make it. I'm sure."

/break\

"Lucas Chase, stand _in line_!", called Luke Castellan out, loud and irritated.

Luke Chase looked sheepishly over at his captain, but there was a higher authority running up to them. His beloved, most cherished prince. And before Luke could give his full attention to Captain Castellan, Thess reached them and threw himself at Luke with full-force, knocking the young knight onto his butt. Ethan, Alabaster, Travis and Connor around him snickered at that.

"You shouldn't let a pretty ass distract you, even if it's a royal ass", advised Alabaster wickedly.

"You know you shouldn't talk about _any_ member of the royal family like that", warned Ethan.

But young Luke wasn't minding them at all, because there was the love of his life curled up against his chest, crying pitifully and clinging onto him as though the world around them was crumbling and Luke was the only constant thing left to Thess. "Hey, Thess, what's wrong? What happened?"

"M—Mom...", pressed Thess out between hiccups.

The training stopped instantly, all knights alert seeing as this concerned the life of their queen. There was only one knight who was even more concerned about someone else and regardless of how much Sander had always wanted to be a knight, there was one place he'd rather be right now.

/break\

"Not that I don't enjoy a good fuck in the afternoon, babe, but... Why now?"

Kitty Ellen was spread out on her sheets, head supported by one hand, the only thing she was wearing was a golden bracelet that Sally Persephone had given her to her last birthday. Percy Junior grunted and shrugged, grabbing the sheets to pull them over her own nakedness.

"Can't be with the little kids now", muttered Percy with a glare. "Wanted to be with you."

"But...", started Kitty and sat up to crawl over to her girlfriend. "Don't you want to meet your sis?"

"No", growled Percy fiercely, flipping them over as Kitty came to rest on top of her.

Dark-green eyes stared unblinkingly up at Percy, a little surprised at the princess' anger. "Why not?"

"Because... I'd rather be with you", shrugged Percy with a smirk, smashing their lips together.

/break\

Luke had, after slowly coaxing words out of Thess, gotten his captain's permission to escort the upset prince back to his chambers and stay with Thess. Now Luke was cuddled up to his beloved prince, holding onto the pale beauty and caressing Thess' smooth, long hair.

"Why aren't you with your siblings, love?", asked Luke, nosing Thess' cheek, kissing tears away.

"C—Can't", admitted Thess softly, pressing closer against Luke.

"Why not?", inquired Luke, tightening his grip on the shivering prince.

"B—Because I... I'll... I can't look at the baby", whispered Thess, averting his eyes. "I just can't."

"And why not, Thess?", asked Luke patiently, rubbing circles on Thess' hips.

"Because when I look at the baby, I may start liking the baby, but... but... i—if mamma dies because of the baby, I'll _hate_ it so I can't get attached to it!", exclaimed Thess, sounding angry, sad and guilty all at the same time. "I can't lose my mother, Luke! A—And if it's the baby's fault, I'll have to hate it for taking my mother away. I _will_ hate it. It can't take my mother from me, Luke."

"It is your little sibling, Theseus", replied Luke, keeping his voice soft. "And you _love_ your little siblings. I understand that you love your mother and that you can't lose him, but..."

"No. No buts allowed", growled Thess, staring up at Luke with tears shimmering in his eyes. "No. My mom can't die, b—but if he does, it'll be the baby's fault!"

Thess started crying again, face buried in his boyfriend's chest and Luke kept from saying anything more, just holding Thess and trying to sooth the younger teen, caressing him tenderly.

/break\

Before Sander had a chance to reach his prince, he ran into Trend and Derek, both looking rather confused and as though they were seeking someone, or something too. Sander paused for a second.

"Have you seen our Sammy?", asked Derek, glaring accusingly at Sander. "Did you steal him again for training? Because I demand our Sammy back now. I don't like it when he's not here."

"What? No. I haven't seen Sam since this morning", replied Sander confused. "I'm on my way to check on my prince, because Prince Theseus Paul said that there were complications with the birth."

"Oh my. Donny...", whispered Derek, the playful anger melting to concern. "Well, move!"

The young king grabbed both Trend and Sander by the hands, pulling them harshly along at top speed until they reached Donny's chambers. But when they burst in, they did not find what they were expecting. Sam was laying curled together around a tiny baby, playing with him as the little one made grabby motions for Sam's hands. The smallest, yet most brilliant smile possible was on Sam's lips as he was playing with the baby. Jack was curled up against Sam's chest, between the teen and the baby, watching his little sister in total awe and with wide, innocent eyes. Jimmy and Silly were hanging over Sam's side, cheeks resting against Sam's rib-cage, both deep asleep.

While Derek and Trend were completely enchanted by the adorable picture of Sam cuddling with the kids, Sander grew more and more upset. "Where's my... my prince? Sam, where is he?"

Sam jumped a little, startled at the sudden voice, turning toward the trio. "Oh. Hello. Donny is with his mother, I took over babysitting duties. He should be at the healer's."

"Ah, thank you, Sam", nodded Sander and dashed out of the room.

"Why's mommy still with the healer?", asked Jack innocently, turning to Sam. "I wanna show mommy what a good, response-sensible brother I can be!"

"Responsible, not response-sensible, Jackie", laughed Sam and leaned down to kiss the young boy's head. "And your mommy is very, very tired. Giving birth is like... like having training with your uncle Jason and you know how bad that is, right? So now your mommy needs to rest."

"Oh. Okay", nodded Jack, pleased by that answer. "Then I will show mommy tomorrow."

"Do that, sweetling", agreed Sam with a smile. "Why don't you rest some now, mh?"

"Okay", nodded Jack, yawning widely. "Being a big brother is very exhausting too..."

"I bet", chuckled Sam, humming a soft, lulling tune until Jack was deep asleep.

"You're amazing", whispered Derek in total awe, startling Sam yet again.

The slave blushed, having completely forgotten that his masters were still in the room. Trend grinned amused, arm around Derek's waist as he steered their king over to the bed to sit with Sam. Sam tried to shift some, but Derek held him down, shaking his head with a smile.

"Stay. You're the very important pillow to four little royals", whispered Trend softly.

"How can you look so adorable with the little ones?", cooed Derek, caressing Silly's hair. "Dear god, I can _not_ wait to see how cute you will look with our own little ones piling around you like you're the center of the world. So, so, so sweet, my sweetheart."

Sam's face was as red as beets when he stared over at his king, not saying a word. Trend offered him a calm smile, conveying the message that it was alright and Derek was just babbling happily, not planning to jump Sam right now to make some babies.

/break\

Nico didn't remember when he had last breathed. Maybe he wasn't breathing anymore at all. Maybe his body was doing it automatically, without him even noticing at the moment because his whole focus was set on making sure that his Percy was still breathing. One thing Nico was sure of was that if Percy stopped breathing, so would he. Simply because his body wouldn't have the strength left.

Percy's hand was laying in Nico's, Nico's other hand on top of Percy's, caressing it softly with his thumb. The hand was clam and cold and it wasn't squeezing Nico's. Nico _needed_ it to squeeze back.

He knew he should talk to Donny. He knew his oldest son was there, had joined them at some point, not that Nico had any concept of time at this moment. He was the father, the head of the family, he should reassure his son that everything would be alright. But he just couldn't.

He couldn't even reassure himself right now. All he knew was fear. The fear of losing the love of his life, the moon to light up all his nights, the sun to warm all his days. His queen, the mother of his children, the center of his heart. His other half. Perseus Lir Jackson was everything Nico wasn't, was the one to complete him. The bright, cheerful, optimistic one who, even when in doubt, was always there for the people he led, the one who strengthened Nico when Nico grew insecure in his leading-abilities. What would Nico do without Percy...?

"Please don't die, I can't live without you", croaked Nico out, voice hoarse with pain.

"He won't die", promised a voice that did not belong to Donny or the healers.

But the voice had the same never-ending confidence and optimism as Percy's and it drove tears into Nico's eyes as he turned his head, only reluctantly tearing his eyes off his beloved. There was Sander, standing behind Donny. Back straight, eyes trained on Percy, but both his hands on Donny's shoulders. The young prince was leaning back against Sander for support, eyes closed.

"What makes you say that?", asked Nico, unsure how he even mustered the strength to speak.

"I never had a family of my own", started Sander slowly. "I never knew what a mother is or what a mother does. I'm only now really getting to know my own mother, but even before I met her, I saw the way the queen looks at your children. I think... I think the most important thing about mothers that I learned from Queen Perseus and from my own mother after meeting her is that mothers never give up their children, never abandon them. My mother was looking for me relentlessly for years and even now, after twelve years, she still recognized me because she never gave up on maybe finding me. Queen Perseus would _never_ abandon his children. He will not die, he will not leave them. There's no way he'd let them grow up without him."

Nico stared at the boy for a long moment, slowly blinking his eyes. He had spend hours crying, cursing the gods and life itself, bitter, angry and ready to punch the first person who'd dare to interrupt his moment of grief, fear and sadness. And yet, despite it all, he found himself smiling. Only a small and still pained smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"You're right", agreed Nico, nodding slowly. "I shouldn't underestimate him like that. Percy... Percy never did what others expected of him. He's always been a fighter and he always will be. He will not go down without a fight, so I... I can't give up either. Thank you, Sander."

"Y—You're welcome, my king", mumbled Sander, a bit embarrassed at that.

Donny smiled and grabbed Sander's hands with his own, pulling them down to lay around his neck instead of resting on his shoulders. He hung onto them as he squeezed his eyes shut. Deep down, Donny knew that Sander was right. His mother would not give life to a child and leave the little one, together with all their siblings, all on their own. His mother would never leave his father alone, because those two needed each other. The whole kingdom needed Percy.

"Would you do me a favor, Sander?", inquired the king after another long stretch of silence.

"E—Everything, your grace", nodded Sander hastily, growing nervous.

"Take my son with you and make sure he eats something and rests. He has been here for hours now", requested Nico, his voice low and not leaving room to argue.

"Father, with all due respect, you're crazy if you think I'll leave", countered Donny sternly.

"Hades Poseidon di Angelo, you will do as I say", ordered Nico, sounding darker and more serious this time around, before he offered the boy the faintest smile. "You wouldn't want your mother to see you like that, it would scare him. You have to look your best when he wakes up."

Donny wanted to protest again, but Sander tightened his grip on Donny's hand, offering him an honest and encouraging look because Donny sighed in defeat. "Yes, papà. But you need rest too."

Nico watched them leave, living a hand up to rub his face. He did need rest. The sun was already setting and it had barely been rising by the time Percy had gone into labor. Yawning in exhaustion, Nico climbed onto the bed, laying down next to his queen, pulling Percy against his chest. Octavian and his team had done everything they could, had told Nico that they could only tell in the morning if it was working, if Percy would make it. This night would decide it. For a split-second, Nico found himself hoping that if Percy wasn't to wake up, neither was he. But then he remembered that their children needed them. Both of them. And if not both, at least one.

/break\

It had been hard, forcing Donny to eat something and honestly, Sander understood that Donny had no appetite. So he left it at a few pieces of cheese and some grapes for now. When they entered the prince's chambers again, the bed was overloaded. Sam was still in the middle, Jack and Hazel Pandora on one side, Silly and Jimmy on the other, Derek and Trend at the outside of the bed, keeping the kids from falling off. All of them were deep asleep.

"Do you think I can sleep in your bed tonight?", asked Donny softly. "I don't want to wake them, but there's not a square-inch of space left on my bed either a—and I don't want to be alone..."

"O—Of course, my prince. I can sleep on the floor", nodded Sander hastily.

"No. That's not what I meant", said Donny as he tugged Sander along to the secluded chamber. "I don't want to be alone. And I wouldn't just kick you out of your bed either. Please. Just hold me."

Donny was the first to collapse on the bed, looking up at Sander with the most pleading eyes possible, like a hurt puppy. Regardless of how weird Sander felt at sharing a bed with his prince, those eyes could not be denied. Blushing brightly, Sander climbed in and wrapped his arms around Donny's waist. The prince snuggled up to Sander, face buried in his chest, sobbing silently until he fell asleep, with Sander whispering soothing nonsense and holding him.

/break\

Falling asleep had been close to impossible, so when something was tickling his cheek, he tried swatting at it. If this was Will's idea of telling the king to get up and sleep in his own bed instead of the infirmary, Nico would kick him out – regardless of how much Octavian praised him.

"You look like crap, Nick."

Nico froze up and this time around he _knew_ he wasn't breathing. His eyes snapped open, filled with hope and yearning and pleasedon'tletthisbeadream – which yes, was one single feeling right now. His eyes locked with tired sea-green orbs, set in a pale, sweaty face, a small, teasing smile on normally rose lips. Percy looked like death warmed over, but he was _alive_. Nico breathed again.

"Do not ever scare me like that again, l'amore della mia vita", whispered Nico.

He pulled Percy close, kissing him. Only the faintest touch of lips, too scared to break the fragile looking man in his arms. It took Percy a lot of effort, but he wrapped his arms around Nico's neck, pressing himself as close to his husband as physically possible.

"You should know me better than that. I'd never leave you, amore per sempre", replied Percy, voice barely audible and croaked. "B—But... the... the baby... is... is the baby..."

"A beautiful and healthy little girl? Yes, she is", interrupted Nico, smiling a little.

"Thank the gods", gasped Percy, sagging against Nico in relief, their foreheads pressed against each other. "I'm sorry for worrying you, my king. And honestly, I could use a few days worth of sleep..."

"Then take them", murmured Nico, kissing Percy's forehead and cheeks. "Take all the time you need to heal, my love. As long as you will not leave me."

"Never", promised Percy, pressing his lips against Nico's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have Frazeleo visiting so Leo can coo over tiny, adorable Dora. Also, the long-awaited moment has come - Sander and Donny are gonna talk about their feelings!


	15. How to Make a Royal

_Chapter 15: How to Make a Royal_

News of the queen's waking spread fast throughout the castle and by the time the sun colored the sky pink, there were a bunch of royal heirs curled together all around the king and the queen. They didn't leave at all for three days, the fear of nearly losing their mother too big to do so. The royal family stayed locked into the king's chambers, getting food from their servants and just silently celebrating that Percy had made it. Percy smiled fondly at the newborn baby in his arms, Hazel Pandora fitting perfectly against him. Little Jack was pressed against Nico's chest, occasionally poking Dora's cheek. Jimmy and Silly were at their feet, between their parents' legs. Percy Junior had her arms tightly wrapped around her mother's waist, face buried in Percy's stomach. Her twin-brother Thess was behind her, his head on their mother's shoulder. Donny smiled tenderly and relieved where he was cuddled up against Nico's side, his father ruffling his hair.

"Sander was right", whispered Donny, so soft that only Nico could hear it.

"He's a good, strong young man", said Nico honestly. "He will be an honorable knight one day."

Donny blushed, unsure why he was blushing to begin with, but somehow his father's words seemed to carry another message beneath. A message of approval and that made his heart flutter.

/break\

"A party! A grand party with _lots_ of delicious food!", exclaimed Leo as he took over the kitchen.

He had brought with him his Frank and Hazel, who both were more than qualified in the kitchen-department. News of the new heir had reached the rest of the capitol and perhaps even farther by now. What Hazel knew was that her newest niece needed to be celebrated and she also knew that Leo never missed out on an opportunity to throw a party. They were together with Rachel, Ella and Malcolm, the three heads of the library and sub-advisers next to Octavian and Annabeth. Planers, which was quite good for this opportunity. Annabeth and Piper were there too, discussing invitations. Tonight, they would celebrate and for that, everyone needed to do their parts.

"It'll be a good way to lift the spirits", smiled Rachel. "The people had been worried.

"The queen nearly died", pointed Ella out, concerned. "Will Tyson come too?"

"Of course he will", chuckled Frank affectionately. "But we couldn't leave the forges unattended."

"Tonight, everyone will gather to celebrate", declared Hazel with fond eyes.

"And who's telling Octavian?", inquired Malcolm, cocking one eyebrow. "Our queen needs rest."

"Oh, pish-posh, he also needs to eat", chided Piper and waved one hand dismissively. "He's not supposed to dance and run around, just sit there and let Nico feed him. The kingdom needs this."

"Percy is the heart of our realm and word of his condition had traveled _too_ fast, rumors spread that he was already dead. We can't afford that. We need to show strength and that he and the baby are alright, before our enemies catch a swift of this", added Annabeth with a frown.

"A party it is!", exclaimed Leo excited, jumping up and down like a hyperactive monkey.

/break\

Three days and Sam found himself missing something. He didn't know, or rather, he didn't understand, why. He had only been babysitting the little ones for a couple of hours, but somehow, he already found himself missing them, like there was a hole in his heart. It confused him so much that at first, he had thought something was physically wrong with him, like a sickness or something, so he had gone to see a healer. Octavian had, in a rather neutral voice, told him what was wrong with him. For years, he had suppressed his carrier-nature, had pretended to be something he wasn't. Now in the past weeks, he had started to ease into his true nature, had allowed himself to be who he was. And then he had taken care of Jimmy, Silly, Jack and Dora, little children in dire need of someone to take care of them and love them. Years of suppressed nature and instincts came crushing down on him hard. So right now, he was in a way on withdrawal, yearning for the family he was meant to have, to nurture and love. Sam had carried that notion with him for three days now, contemplating if Octavian's words were true. When he closed his eyes, he saw Dora, the tiny, cute little baby with those innocent, wide eyes and all he wanted was her, holding her and tickling her and loving her. But he knew she was the daughter of the king and queen, she wasn't his. So he came to the next conclusion, one that frightened and overwhelmed him at the same time. He wanted a baby, his own baby. Someone to look at him with that pure kind of love, someone he could love, someone who was his. And wasn't that his purpose to begin with? Wasn't that what his king had bought him for? To have a baby. So why shouldn't he just get this over with to get what he wanted, what his king wanted. Because there was also something else that Sam wanted – he wanted Derek and Trend, wanted to stay with them, wanted not to be taken away from them. If he was with child, he would for at the very least this short period of time be safe. What happened afterward was what worried Sam. Would Derek stand true to his words and allow Sam to be a mother to the baby? Or would he just be used for breeding. No, something deep inside of Sam trusted Derek, something deep inside of him knew Derek's words were true. He would get to keep his baby, raise it. He just knew it. So in Sam's mind, it made perfect sense. If he was pregnant, he would be safe to stay where he felt like he belonged, he would fulfill his part and he would get what he so desperately wanted.

"Are you alright, sweetheart? You're unusually... silent", asked Derek concerned.

The king was brushing his fingers through Sam's mohawk, massaging Sam's scalp. Sam was laying curled together on Derek's lap, not moving a muscle. It was to Trend's benefits, because _finally_ he got to concentrate on his studies while Derek was pleasantly distracted by Sam.

"Can you make me a baby?", asked Sam softly, turning to look up into Derek's dark eyes.

And there Trend's concentration went, straight out of the window. Slowly lowering his book, he turned to stare at Sam in utter disbelief, the same expression as was painted onto Derek's face.

"W—What did you just say...?", gasped the king, his emerald eyes wide and stunned.

"Make me a baby", said Sam again, this time firmer. "I... I'm a carrier, you're the king, you own me to get an heir. L—Let's make a baby. You and me. I... I want it. I want a little rascal like Jack, a princess like Silly, a prankster like Jimmy or an innocent angel like Dora. I _want_ a... family."

His voice was raw and filled with emotions, with the loss of his own family who he had to abandon when he had gone into slavery. A deeply seated longing that was truer than anything Derek had ever heard. It wasn't a hard guess that Sam's instincts were taking over here, most carriers had those instincts, an urge within to carry and nurture, to hold and love a little one. Suddenly, Derek's face lit up like a million candles, like the sun igniting the sky after a dark night.

A turmoil of emotions was going on inside Derek. He was the king, he was responsible for a whole country, a responsibility he had fled in a way when he went to visit his mentor. People, his own people, doubted him, didn't believe he would ever live up to the example the late King Matthew had set. He had no beautiful and tender queen at his side, no heirs to speak of – not just in the form of children, but family at all. There was no other one of his blood to take over if something would happen to him. Having a baby, an heir, it would put the kingdom at more ease, would give them move faith in their king. It would be a beacon of hope that Fólannia needed so desperately after their recent loss of the old king. And then there was the matter of _Sam_ , of how much Derek wanted Sam. Not just in a sexual way – he also wanted Sam to trust him and he wanted to give Sam everything the beautiful boy would ever desire. So if a baby was what he desired, Derek would be more than eager to give him just that. His heart fluttered at the thought.

"If... If you're _sure_ about it", whispered Derek, short of breath with excitement.

Sam nodded shortly, biting his lower lip. "Y—Yes. I want a baby to hold. My own baby."

"And you _will_ get to hold it and raise it and love it", assured Derek again, cupping Sam's cheek.

He felt like he had to clarify that once again, because he meant it. Sam would be as much a part of their baby's life as Derek and Trend. The blonde finally put his book aside as he watched Derek and Sam slowly kissing. Ever since Sam had been stumbling in on the blowjob, things had somehow started to fall into place. Granted, this was farther than Trend had anticipated.

"You have every right to be nervous", whispered Trend softly as he noticed Sam's shaking hands. "We know what you've been through, Sammy. But... I know Derek can be tender and loving."

"C—Can... Can you hold me, then?", asked Sam, blushing a little embarrassed.

"Anything you want, Sammy", chuckled Trend amused and got comfortable. "Come here."

He was leaning against the headboard and Sam scurried to lean against his chest. The blonde started to slowly, nearly sensually so, undress Sam, leaving the slave panting even just by that simple motion. Derek all the while undressed himself and watched his two lovers. His two loves.

"You're so gorgeous, Sam", smiled the king as he crawled up to them.

"Can you get naked too?", asked Sam as he stared deep into the dark-gray eyes of Trend.

"If it makes you more comfortable", nodded Trend a little amused, shedding his clothes.

Now that all three of them were bare, they adjusted themselves. Trend was laying on a pile of pillows, with Sam between his legs, against his chest. Trend's strong arms were around Sam's waist to hold him, assure him that he was being held, being caught before he could fall. Derek all the while got the honey-scented massage oil from their nightstand. Just looking at the masterpiece of Trend's and Sam's naked bodies made Derek hard. Applying the oil to his hardness, he leaned down to shower Sam's torso with tender butterfly-like kisses. Tracing Sam's collarbone, his deliciously defined abs, the prominent hipbones, his firm chest and cute, pink nipples. He tasted every inch of Sam's body that he could reach while slowly spreading his carrier's thighs.

"I need you to relax now, darling", ordered Derek softly. "Relax and lean back. I won't hurt you."

Sam nodded stiffly, fingers clawing into Trend's thighs. But the blonde didn't mind, he just held onto Sam, kissing his neck and shoulders in a soft and soothing manner. Still, Sam froze up when something poked his entrance, flashbacks to all the pain and humiliation this normally had led to flooding his mind. And then Derek connected their lips in a loving kiss, while Trend held him in the most secure embrace he could picture. The intrusion was slow and careful, only a finger, a slick finger at that. Nothing like anything he had ever experienced. Derek wiggled his way in with seemingly endless patience, pausing whenever Sam started to stiffen or freeze again.

"It's alright, Sammy, I got you", whispered Trend every time, kissing his neck over and over.

"C—Can't you just hurry and _get it over with_?", asked Sam when Derek added another finger.

"No", grunted Derek and sat up some to look deep into those forest-green eyes. "No, sweetheart. This is not some task you have to get over with for the sake of getting a baby. I will show you that sex can feel _good_ , I'll make love to you. This is about _you_ , okay, sweetheart? So just... trust me."

Sam stared at him doubtfully. He wanted a baby, something to hold onto, to love, something to have a physical form to put all his fears aside because he could hold this innocent baby and know that he had done _something_ right. Sex was what was necessary to get that. Nothing more.

"I don't know", admitted Sam in a soft voice. "I... I'll try?"

Derek smiled at him tenderly and continued his administration. A third finger was added into the tightness and he tried desperately to get Sam to relax. Trend's thorough attention to Sam's neck seemed to be helping somewhat at least. And then Derek found it. That one sensitive spot where jugular and collarbone met, where Sam's pulse was racing beneath the skin and as Derek sucked on it, Sam went completely limb, only able to whimper softly, all muscles relaxed in pleasure. Derek made sure to remember it as he continued to nibble on that spot with his teeth. His fingers got easier passage and he added a fourth, wiggling them until Sam seemed loose enough.

"There you go, sweetheart", cooed Derek in a praising manner. "Now just focus on the pleasure."

Sam held his breath as the fingers were replaced with something thicker. His nails scraped at Trend's skin, but the blonde didn't complain, he just whispered soothing words while Derek eased his way in. He took it so slow that Sam reluctantly started to believe that maybe, this was truly for him and not for Derek. The reluctance faded when Derek hit a weird spot inside of Sam that made everything brighten and his skin tingle with an unknown pleasure. Sam let out a scream.

"A—Are you alright?", asked Derek concerned, looking down at Sam.

" _Yes_ ", hissed Sam, reaching out with one hand to grab Derek by the neck. "That was... I don't know what that was, but _please_ do that again. Is that what it's supposed to feel like? Can you do it again?"

Derek and Trend shared a laughter at Sam's utter fascination for his prostate. "Of course, sweetheart. Let me get you more acquainted with your prostate, darling. You'll learn to love it."

His thrusts were patient and well-placed as he tried to hit Sam's prostate as often as possible. Where Derek normally preferred rough sex over tender touchy-touchy stuff, he wanted to make sure that tonight, Sam would feel _loved_. Soon, the last of Sam's tension slipped away as the carrier gave himself completely to the pleasure Derek was delivering. Derek's and Trend's lips were upon his skin, kissing and licking and tracing and marking. So hot and tender and passionate. Trend's fingers were around Sam's cock, rubbing him all the right ways, caressing the head and gradually coaxing an orgasm out of Sam. When Leroy had taken him, Sam had never even had the chance, much less the desire, to get off. It was all about the trader taking _his_ pleasure, not the least bit about delivering any pleasure to Sam. But what Trend and Derek were doing right there, how they touched him, the sound of their voices as their murmured sweet nonsense about how beautiful and gorgeous and wonderful he was, it was all too much. Whimpering softly, Sam came all over Trend's hand and in the aftermath of his orgasm, he watched with half an eye how Derek greedily licked the warm liquid off Trend's fingers, sucking fiercely on them until the last of white was cleaned off Trend's hand.

"So good, so tight", groaned Derek, enjoying the way Sam's muscles contracted around him.

He only lasted a few hard thrusts longer before he emptied himself deep inside Sam. Sam gave a soft moan at the feeling of being flooded with Derek's essence. Derek didn't pull out though, he twisted their bodies so he came to lay behind Sam, pressed against Sam's back and laying both of them down on Trend's chest to catch their breath. Trend smiled and laid his arms around them.

"So, how was it?", asked the blonde in a soft voice.

"Different. Strange. Good. Intense. Weird. Amazing", listed Sam with a soft pant to his voice. "Not how... I'm used to. I... liked it, I guess. A lot, maybe. Thank you."

"You're... welcome?", chuckled Derek amused, kissing Sam's spine. "So, repeat-worthy?"

"I guess", nodded Sam reluctantly. "I mean... it made me feel... strange. Good strange."

"You will have to repeat that. You generally don't fall pregnant after one time", pointed Trend out.

"Oh. Okay. I guess", nodded Sam, still looking thoughtful and even a little confused.

"Rest now", suggested Trend, kissing the top of Sam's head. "We'll hold you."

/break\

Sander was to equal parts stunned and frightened at how incredibly fast Leo Valdez could organize a ball. Most of the guards had been roped into helping and under the strict lead of Annabeth, Rachel, Hazel, Frank, Jason and Luke, everything seemed to unfold pretty well. He had heard that the princes and princesses would be chased out of the royal chambers to get showered, dressed and prettied up for the ball. Which meant that Donny would resurface from his parents' chambers. He knew Donny had probably barely slept in the past three days, spend all his time cherishing the fact that his mom was alive. But tonight, his precious prince needed to look and be at his best. So Sander had invaded the kitchen – under the critical eyes of Hazel – and made lunch for his prince.

"Mh, something smells utterly delicious", purred a soft, melodic voice.

Sander turned around to face the exhausted looking prince. Donny's hair was messy, he had bags under his eyes and he was still wearing the same clothes as he had when he had rushed to see his mother. Donny offered him a tired and happy smile.

"Hello, my prince! I made you lunch! You should go and take a bath, food will be waiting for you. They expect you to be up and about for the ball tonight", declared Sander with a happy smile.

Donny stared at him for a long moment, taking in how genuine and handsome Sander looked, how proud amidst the food he had _made_. Donny's heart fluttered at what Sander had done for him. Not the fact that he had drawn a bath for Donny or made him lunch, but how he had been there for Donny when Donny had needed him the most, when Donny thought he'd lose his mother. Without another word, Donny entered the bathroom and shed his robes, sinking into the rose-scented water. The last three days had been more exhausting than relaxing. All his siblings talked basically at the same time, flooding their mother with all the things they deemed important. Instead of leaning back and relaxing, they just enjoyed having their mother, assuring him they loved him. What Donny's father had said this morning, it still weighed heavy on Donny. Had it been Nico's unofficial consent to... whatever this could be? Donny found it hard to relax in the bath this time around, but he still managed to sort through what he _wanted_. He wanted what his parents had, the kind of devotion he had seen in his father's eyes when they had feared for his mother's life – and he wanted it with Sander. Determination surged through his body as he stood and wrapped himself in the lithe linen.

"Sander, can we... talk?", asked Donny softly as he reentered his chambers.

"Of course. How is the queen? Is he _really_ alright, my prince?", inquired Sander concerned.

"Mother is fine", nodded Donny with a small smile and sat down at the table. "Join me. You must be hungry too. And... thank you, for the food. I didn't know you could cook."

"Well, had to", shrugged Sander a little awkwardly. "For the other slaves, with the trader."

They remained silent for a while as they ate and only when the last crumb of bread was consumed and both stood again, Donny gathered all of his courage. Sander looked at him confused as the prince came closer and closer. Being polite, Sander stepped back. Until he bumped into the bed.

"Thank you", whispered Donny softly, hands against Sander's chest. "For _everything_. You're amazing, the way you're just... here. When I needed _someone_ , you were the one with me. You make me smile and happy and you make me look forward to waking up in the morning. But I think... I think I don't want to wake up to you being my servant, not even to you being my knight... I want to wake up to you being _mine_. Entirely mine, heart, body and soul."

"I—I am", stuttered Sander back nervously. "I'm yours, all of me is yours and only yours."

"I know", smiled Donny, a tender expression on his face as he leaned up.

Their lips met in a kiss far too faint and sweet to be of this world. It was perfection, to both of them. Donny leaned into the knight so Sander felt obliged to cradle the prince close. It was as though Donny was made to be held by him, because the prince fit just perfectly into Sander's embrace.

"Y—You shouldn't kiss me", pointed Sander out, frowning a little as they parted. "You're a prince, my prince. And I'm just... me. Princes should only kiss other royals."

"Stupid Sander", chided Donny with a slight glare. "You're _so much more_ than just you. You're so sweet and kind and loyal and strong, not just physically but emotionally. I don't want to kiss any other royals, I only want to kiss you. So can we get back to that now, please?"

Sander wanted to protest, but Donny's lips suffocated any such notions. Donny was the prince and the prince should always get what he wanted, so surely Sander should give in, right? After all, had Sander not sworn to himself to always do everything possible to ensure his prince's safety and happiness? He just didn't quite understand how kissing Sander fit into that category, because Donny kissing Sander was from Sander's category of fairy-tale-like-dreams-that-don't-come-true. Just like finding a family. Or becoming a knight. A small, content smile curved Sander's lips up. Maybe he wasn't the hero in the fairy tale, but rather the princess, because surely there had to be a good fairy out there to ensure all those miracles to happen. After all, he was holding his personal Prince Charming, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. And for all Sander cared at that moment, there wasn't. All that mattered was this moment right then and there, only the two of them.

/break\

"We can still back out", whispered Nico in a suggestive and secretive voice. "Just lock the doors and stay in these chambers for a few more days, only you and me, my love."

Percy smiled faintly as Piper dressed him in his finest robes and best jewelry, to be a picture of power and fortune. "Don't be silly, my king. We have other obligations. And I'm feeling good, really. I'm fine. We just eat some, chatter and then we go to bed again."

"Percy is right", agreed Piper a little amused. "Man up some, my king. It's just a gala."

Once Nico was dressed fully, he heaved an exhausted sigh and offered Percy his arm. Percy smiled amused up at him and took the offered arm. They both knew that Percy was still a little weak in the knees, but they also knew that they had to be a picture of strength for their people. By the time they entered the ball-room, everything was set for a celebration and all the lords of their realm seem to have gathered. Nico had _no idea_ how Hazel's little carrier always managed those things, but Leo had a way with parties. Before Percy and Nico could take a seat at the head of the table meant for the royal family, Leo was attached to the queen, hugging Percy and kissing Dora's cheeks.

"She's adorable", gushed the elvish boy, poking her nose. "Hello, little one."

"Let's sit down. I don't want Percy up on his feet for longer than he has to", grunted Nico annoyed.

Percy and Leo gave Nico the same kind of amused looks, but they obeyed. Their table was filled with their children and with Frank and Hazel. King Derek was there too, but with him was not just Trend, there was also Sam. Percy noticed curiously how Derek and Trend sat on either side of Sam in a rather protective manner, as close as possible. Percy recognized this kind of possessiveness from Nico whenever Percy was pregnant. Sea-green eyes sparkled amused as Percy realized that he must have missed a lot while he had been out cold. Percy was only listening with half an ear to Nico as the king stood tall and proud, sleepy little Dora held in his arms as he introduced her to their people. More of Percy's attention was on his surroundings though. How Donny kept stealing glances at the knights' table, where Sander was happily sitting with his parents, for example.

"Percy, please try to concentrate! I have about a bazillion questions and you're not paying attention to me", interrupted Leo annoyed, elbowing Percy softly.

"Mh? I'm sorry. I suppose I'm still a little out of it. Nearly dying and stuff", excused Percy.

"Don't give me that crap", huffed Leo with a glare. "Also, don't you _ever_ do that again! You worried the whole kingdom sick, man. Okay, now, tell me. Cute, little, tiny princess."

"Hazel Pandora", whispered Percy with the smallest, proudest smile.

"I feel so flattered", grinned Hazel brightly, looking fondly at her cousin.

"Yeah, well", chuckled Nico and shrugged, shifting the baby in his arms. "I wanted to name her after the sister fate gave me when I lost my older sister."

Hazel and Nico exchanged a small smile while Leo and Percy were engaging in baby-talk. At least until something, or rather someone, interrupted them. Jack did not appreciate sitting that far away from his mommy, so he crawled beneath the table and emerged on Percy's lap.

"Hello, mommy", grinned Jack pleased as he got comfortable.

"Hello, tesorino", chuckled Percy and kissed Jack's forehead, arms around the small child.

Nico sighed. He had a feeling that this little bugger would be staying in their bed for at least another week. Even though Jack was too young to understand what exactly had happened to his mother, he still understood the worry and concern around him, so he sought out his mother's safe embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing as Derek wants Sammy as his queen, he will make Sam sit through some of Donny's royal-duty-classes. Which means next chapter will focus on Sam-Donny bonding, with the other little princes and princesses and the queen, of course!


	16. The Duality of Royalty

_Chapter 16: The Duality of Royalty_

Sam was worn-out and tired as he laid spread-out on the bed. The gala last night had been exhausting (and what they had done after the gala. Three times). Apparently, the king didn't just think that repetition was the way to pregnancy, but also that it would help Sam getting more relaxed about sex. It worked. He still froze up every time Derek penetrated him, but he started to concentrate on the pleasure that was about to come. That helped a lot. And Trend, he helped too.

"Sammy, sweetheart, come on, it's time to wake up", whispered Derek's soft voice. "Darling."

"No", moaned Sam and turned around to bury his face in Trend's chest. "Tired... go alone, lemme sleep, I'll eat later... and then sleep some more... shoo, go away..."

Derek had a large, amused grin on his face as he trailed kisses along Sam's spine. "No time for you to sleep, my dear. You have classes by sunrise and we should get you bathed before then."

"...Classes...?", repeated Sam slowly and turned around again.

He slowly cracked one eye open to look at his king. "Yes, classes, sweetheart. You're – hopefully – soon pregnant. With the heir to all of Fólannia. You're the future queen of a large realm. There are certain things you need to learn. And I thought it would be a good idea if you could get a head-start here, together with Donny and his siblings, instead of learning alone and with strangers at home."

Sam blinked in slow-motion and turned to look at Trend. "What is he talking about...? Queen? Classes? I don't... I'm too tired to understand. Please translate for me."

"Tradition has it that a king can only make a slave the queen _after_ the birth of their first heir. That gives you nine months to learn what your duties will be and what kind of behavior is expected of a queen. But instead of waiting until we're back home in our own castle, Derek thought you'd feel more comfortable sharing your first few classes with Donny and the little ones", said Trend.

"Yeah, still not making sense", grunted Sam and sat up, ruffling his hair. "Queen?"

"Oh, honey", sighed Derek and went to straddle Sam's lap. "I told you. You're here to stay, with me and Trend. You're going to be the mother of our children and I plan on cherishing you for the rest of our lives. You will be my wife, Samuel, but by tradition, only after the baby is born."

"...Queen...", repeated Sam once again, frowning at Derek in a skeptical manner.

"You're sweet when you're slow on the intake, babe", laughed Derek and kissed his nose.

"True", agreed Trend, kissing Sam's ear. "Come on now, let's get you cleaned up, my queen."

Color exploded in Sam's face as he was guided into the bathroom. Those two were crazy.

/break\

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy!"

Sam jumped a good two feet high as three little kids ran up to him and screamed his name loudly. Seconds later, Jack collided face-first with Sam's stomach. Derek and Trend had thrown him in front of the lions – the lions being the royal heirs in this case. And now that Silly and Jimmy were pulling at his hands while Jack clung to his midsection, Trend and Derek just left to go after their own business. This wasn't fair. Sam had wanted to argue some more about how bad of a choice he would be as the queen, what a bad decision that was.

"I'm glad you'll come to class with us today!", exclaimed Silly excitedly.

"Does... that make you a prince or a princess then?", asked Jimmy confused.

"Is like Donny and Thess and me, right? A boy-princess!", stated Jack determined. "Right?"

"...Right", answered Sam for the sake of ending this discussion.

He was utterly uncomfortable. Once he had been a knight, but now he was nothing more but a slave. And a slave shouldn't be taught anything, much less classes with royals. At least the royals at hand were the cute little princes and princesses, as well as Donny. Donny offered him an encouraging smile as they entered what was the classroom. There was a blackboard at the wall, with chalk next to it. Malcolm, one of the three scholars working the library, stood there, smiling at them. Thess and Percy Junior already sat on two of the pillows. There were seven large, comfortable-looking pillows laid out in front of the blackboard, each with a scroll of paper and a feather in front of them. Sam grew uncomfortable again, so Donny took his hand in a comforting manner.

"Calm down", whispered Donny amused. "You look short of a heart-attack."

"I have no business here", hissed Sam back, glaring a little.

"Why not?", asked Donny, honestly confused. "You were a knight and rose to be a general, then fell to the status of a slave. Why shouldn't you be able to rise to be a queen?"

"Because...", started Sam and wavered. "Because..."

"Der-Der looks at you like daddy looks at mommy, so that means you're Der-Der's queen, just like mommy is daddy's queen", supplied Silly, staring at him eagerly. "And now you have to learn how to be a proper queen who'll be as loved by the people as mommy is!"

"You shouldn't argue with her. I think her arguments are strong", teased Donny amused.

Sam's face heated up again at the convinced and logical way that Silly said this. It couldn't be true. When he had become a slave, he had resigned himself to the fate at hand. He had closed the chapter of rich meals, true love and freedom. Why should his king – of all people – give him all of that back? And even more. Derek offered him a child, a chance to change things in their realm, as the queen. Sam couldn't comprehend this, any of it. Donny tugged on his hand, indicating for Sam to sit down. Percy was at the farthest end, close to the window (Sam suspected so she could daydream and not pay attention; she didn't strike him as an attentive student), Thess next to her (most likely so he could try and make her pay attention), Donny next to Thess and now Sam between Donny and Silly, with Jimmy the closest to the door. Jack frowned and sat down on Donny's lap.

"Jack, you're too heavy for that", laughed Donny amused, kissing his head.

"I don't care. If I have to go to classes instead of getting mommy-cuddles, I want Donny-cuddles."

"A reasonable request, Jackson", interjected Malcolm. "Now, if all of you would settle down. Class is about to start, mh? Now, it seems we have a new student amidst us."

"S—Samuel Raser, sir. B—But I can go again if I'm a bother?", offered Sam desperately.

"You're not getting out of this so easily", chuckled Malcolm amused. "Both King Derek as well as our own queen told me not to let you get away, Samuel. I think you should stick with Jack though. He's still learning how to write and read-"

"I know how to write and read", interrupted Sam and ducked his head some. "Before... Before I became a slave, I was part of a noble family. I know those things."

"Good", nodded Malcolm pleased. "Then how about you just sit in on our lesson and if there is something you don't understand or you want clarified, don't be too shy to ask. It will be a good opportunity for me to test how well my other students have been paying attention."

"Yes, sir", nodded Sam, staring down at the empty paper in front of him.

"Relax", whispered Donny amused as he leaned over some. "It's actually fun. Most times."

"Fun?", repeated Percy Junior and gave her older brother a ridiculed look.

"Well, interesting", rephrased Donny, arching one eyebrow.

/break\

Five hours later and Sam would correct Donny's correction. It _was_ fun. It reminded him of how his grandpa used to teach him about politics, knighthood and the family history. Thess was a nerd, while Percy was a slacker. Silly and Jimmy spend most their time whispering with each other and giggling. Jack slept half the time, snuggled up to Donny. And Sam? He soaked up all the information he could get and took so many notes, he filled three scrolls while the princes and princesses barely filled the one Malcolm had prepared for them. He also asked a lot of questions, which was appreciated by Malcolm (but not by Percy Junior, because they had to answer those questions). Aside from taking notes and sponging up knowledge, Sam also talked, giggled and gossiped with Donny. After five hours, they hit a break. Percy Junior fled the second Malcolm put the chalk down so she could sneak a make-out-session with Kitty in between classes.

"So, you liked it?", asked Thess amused as he, Donny and Sam headed for lunch.

"...I think I did", admitted Sam, unsure how to feel about that.

"Then don't make such a face", laughed Donny, elbowing him amused.

"Gimme my twins", demanded Basty as he came to a full-stop in front of the three older boys.

Jimmy and Silly pushed past the three to get to Basty, both talking a mile a minute as they updated Basty on what today's lesson was about. Sam was relieved when they entered the dining hall to find it empty, aside from Queen Percy. He didn't know if he could deal with Derek and Trend right now, because he _still_ felt like arguing with them. He wasn't a queen, he was nothing like Queen Percy.

"Sam. Sit with me", instructed Percy with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Sam gulped hard and Donny took his hand once again. Smiling softly, Donny nudged his new friend until Sam was sitting between Donny and Percy, who sat at the head of the table. Thess and Jack were sitting opposite them, with Jack next to his mommy, staring up at Percy adoringly.

"Mommy? If I'm being _really_ good, can I sleep in yours and daddy's bed again tonight?"

Percy looked at Jack with soft eyes. The little one was still afraid because he didn't really understand why his mommy had slept so long without waking up and why his daddy and siblings had been crying so much. He understood it had been serious and that his mommy had been hurt, so he didn't like not being with Percy right now. Smiling softly, Percy leaned in and kissed his son on his adorable, little button-nose, causing Jack to giggle a little.

"Of course you can, my little prince", whispered Percy, leaning his forehead against Jack's.

"You're a great mom", said Sam without thinking, one hand on his own stomach.

Percy's smile brightened a little as he noticed that gesture. "You will be too. I'm sure of it. I've heard nothing but praises and what sounded pretty close to lauds about how awesome you are from my children ever since I woke up. They adore you, I'm pretty sure Silly wants to keep you."

"Mister Malcolm said... aside from my master, you too insisted I should take those classes...", started Sam slowly as they started eating. "Why? Why do you... think that's right for me?"

"Because Derek has deep feelings for you and he wants you to be his queen", replied Percy honestly, picking on a piece of warm, fresh bread. "Mh, there's nearly nothing better than fresh bread with blueberry jam. Well, I have another ulterior motive too, of course. Our country is the only country in the Known World with a carrier on the throne. Me and my husband have been fighting the fight for carrier-rights pretty much on our own. It would benefit us to have one of our allies having a carrier on the throne too. That aside, I think that you as a person are a good fit."

"Why...?", asked Sam confused as he dipped his own bread into the blueberry jam. "Mh. Good."

"I know, right?", laughed Percy delighted. "Oh, I had them make extra bacon, I heard you liked that best. So, uh... You. Well, it's pretty obvious, I think. Most queens have been born as princesses, raised in sheltered castles, used to getting whatever they wanted. My personal opinion is that those sheltered princesses have a hard time making the right decision for their people. You've been a knight, you saw war first-hand, you've been a slave, you saw misery first-hand, now you're gong to be a queen and you will see wealth. Your life-experience is what will make you a good queen, because you can weight your options and decisions based on a broader variety of choices."

Sam nodded slowly and for the first time, becoming queen sounded like an actual possibility to him. Like something he could – or maybe even _should_ – want. Something in reach, something that fit.

"Thank you", whispered Sam with the smallest smile.

/break\

Encouraged by Percy's words, Sam was even eagerer for the lessons of the afternoon, much to Donny's amusement and delight. He liked Sam and he liked the idea of one day having Sam as his ally once both of them would be queens. It made him feel a little more comfortable with the notion of one day being the queen of Itannwn. The kids all got comfortable again, looking up at Rachel.

"Hello, newbie", greeted Rachel as she looked at Sam with a smile. "So, Malcolm tells me you're an attentive student. I'd appreciate that too. Now, I hope you'll keep an open mind in my class, because I teach religion. I know the beliefs of the Fólannian Islands and the Kingdom of Itannwn are very different, but a good queen respects the beliefs of their allies. Great and pointless wars have been fought out of religious disagreements, so to keep a bond tight, you need to respect the culture, tradition and religion of those you side with, even if you may not share or understand them."

"Makes sense", nodded Sam sharply. "So, uhm, tell me about your religion?"

"How about you guys do that?", offered Rachel and turned to the di Angelos. "Any takers?"

"Me! Me! Me!", exclaimed Jack giddily and jumped up and down.

"Yes, Jack?", nodded Rachel with a smile. "Come to the board and tell us a little about duality."

Jack grinned excited as he looked at Sam and walked to the board, taking the chalk. "Mommy is the moon! See? All bright and watchful. And daddy is the sun. Really strong and protecting."

Sam nodded, even though he was a little confused. Donny laughed at that, causing Sam to glare a bit. Donny just adapted a teasing but friendly face as he stood and walked over to Jack, who had drawn a messy scythe of a moon and a grumpy looking sun onto the board.

"At first, there was the Great Nothing and then came the sun and the moon", explained Donny, looking at Sam. "Father Sun brought the warmth and protection, while Mother Moon was the tender and watchful one. They fell in love. So the Great Nothing put the Earth between them, to separate them. You know how the moon gets thinner over the nights? That's because she's trying to slip to meet her lover. And when it's all gone, they meet. Mother Moon returns to her place and grows round with child, like a human does. But she didn't want to keep their children to herself, so she send them to Earth, so both Mother Moon and Father Sun could watch over them."

"Humans?", guessed Sam with one raised eyebrow. "Us?"

"Yes", confirmed Rachel. "Good. Now, what happens when someone... dies?"

It was a lesson that was due, because after the scare with Percy, it was time that Jack learned about those things. Just in case. Jack looked confused and turned to his big brother as Donny sat down.

"What does it mean?", asked the youngest one.

"Dying is when... someone goes to sleep and doesn't wake up again", replied Thess.

"Why?", wanted Jack to know.

"That's the question. Thess, you want to continue?", inquired Rachel with a quirk of her lips.

"Mother Moon and Father Sun loved their children very much, but when they saw them on Earth, they started to miss them", started Thess softly. "So they gave their children a... limited time on Earth. When that time is up, we all fall asleep and don't wake up. That's death. And when someone dies, their souls go up to the skies to join Mother Moon and Father Sun and turn to stars."

"So... grandpa is a star?", asked Jimmy curiously.

"Yeah, grandpa is a star", nodded Thess with a small smile, ruffling Jimmy's hair.

Sam made a lot of notes, a little in awe at all the things these people believed. Somehow, he liked the notion of it, it was a very romantic approach to things. It also explained why they introduced the king as the sun and the queen as the moon on the banquets.

/break\

Derek smiled pleased as he laid down on the bed. The sun was high in the sky, but after spending the whole morning and noon going through trading arrangements and routes with Trend, Annabeth, Octavian, Nico and Percy, he was exhausted. The perfect time for a nap, preferably while cuddling his sweetheart and his brainiac. Trend grunted in agreement as Derek snuggled up to him.

"Sweetheart!", called Derek out. "Come here! You get cuddles!"

"No", called Sam back from the bathroom.

Derek blinked a couple of times. This was probably the first time that Sam had said 'no' to him – not counting the beginning when he used to say no to everything. But no to cuddles?!

"W—What? Sammy, get out here and explain yourself!", yelped Derek scandalized.

Sam emerged from the bathroom, looking totally stunning as he smiled at them apologetically. "I'm meeting Thess and Donny in the library. They wanted to give me the headlines of overseas trading before tomorrow's lessons so I won't be completely lost. I'm sorry, I'll make up for it tonight."

He leaned over to kiss Derek and Trend briefly before dashing out of the room. What he left behind looked rather adorable. Trend was completely dazed and Derek was pouting deeply.

"Did he just ditch us to _learn_?", whined Derek. "I suddenly hate my own idea..."

"He did", whispered Trend in awe. "And I keep falling more and more in love with him..."

"Idiotic bookworm", huffed Derek and hit Trend's chest.

/break\

Nico loved his children and he found it adorable how Jack kept sneaking into their bedroom and bed to be close to his parents, but after a week of Percy being awake, Nico started to wish for some alone-time with his love. So he felt only a little bad about tricking the little one.

"Jackie", chimed Nico softly as he entered the royal chambers. "Look what I found!"

At each of his hands was one Hood. Hayden looked shy, half hiding behind the king, while Hunter was eager to finally get their Jack back. The three of them had conspired together – because while Nico wanted to get rid of Jack for a few hours, Hunter and Hayden were missing their Jack.

"But those are mine", frowned Jack, thinking his dad wanted to keep his Hoods.

"Well, you haven't played with them in days and you know what happens with your toys that you don't play with. We put them in the higher shelves. Should I put them in the higher shelves?"

Nico's voice had a teasing note to it as he easily lifted the two boys up into his arms, causing them to yelp and laugh a little. Jack gasped and hopped off the bed, rushing over to them and jumping his dad. He wrapped his arms around his dad and started tugging on Nico's robes.

"No! No, no, no! They're my Hoods! Don't put them away!", whined Jack, close to tears.

"Now, now, baby", whispered Percy as he crouched down behind Jack. "Your dad's just teasing. No one will put your Hoods away, but they miss you. Don't you wanna go and play with them?"

"Yeah, we miss you", declared Hunt with an upset frown. "Play with us!"

"Please? I miss my Jackie", agreed Heist, clinging onto his twin-brother.

Within seconds were all three boys out of the bedroom and Nico finally got to heave a relieved breath. Then he grabbed Percy by the waist and lifted him up, throwing him onto the bed. Percy laughed amused, supporting himself with his elbows and staring at his husband.

"Sweet freedom", sighed Nico as he crawled onto the bed and laid between Percy's legs.

Percy bared his neck to his lover as Nico started to trail kisses along Percy's neck. And then little Dora started wailing loudly. Nico groaned and collapsed onto the bed. Percy smiled, kissing Nico's head and getting out of the bed to skip over to their screaming toddler.

"Sh, baby girl. Everything is alright", cooed Percy, holding the her. "Mommy and daddy are here."

/break\

Donny was overly exhausted by the time he got to collapse in his bed again. Somehow, his days seemed to blend into one another ever since his mother had woken up again. Now with Sam being in their classes, Donny spend even more time on his studies, catching Sam up as best as he could, helping him with the most important things. It was a great time to bond with the other future queen. And then there was Derek, who often pulled Donny aside to chat to him about wedding plans and a surprise wedding. His siblings also still wanted a lot of attention too. In this whole mess, he barely had seen Sander for more than five minutes in the past three days and it sucked. With his busy schedule and Sander's own training with the knights, bonding time with his still new-found family and hanging out with his best friend Sam, it was hard for them to be actually together.

"Oh. My prince."

Donny slowly opened one eye to look up at the surprised knight who just entered the bedroom. A lazy but happy smile spread over Donny lips as he adjusted himself on the pillows. The sun was long down, darkness laid over the realm. And Sander looked enchanting as he exited the bathroom, only with his linen pants on, his impressive torso still glistering with water.

"Mh... My Sander", purred Donny delighted, patting the bed next to him. "Come here."

Due to their mismatched schedule, Donny was mostly already asleep by the time Sander entered the room and apparently, the silly knight still slept in the other bedroom, but by the time Donny got up, Sander was already at training, so Donny couldn't even comment on it. But right now, both their days were over and they were alone and at peace. The perfect opportunity. Sander looked confused.

"Uhm... Yes?", asked Sander tentatively as he sat down at the farthest edge of the bed.

"I think you misunderstood our kiss the other day", frowned Donny. "I want you to be _mine_. Always. Also, here on the bed. You don't have to sleep over there, I'd... like for you to share my bed. N—Not for anything... uhm... inappropriate, I'm aware that the future queen's virginity belongs to the future king and all that stuff. I just... want to be held by you. I want to cuddle with you, to feel you close to me. We barely see each other these days, so I want to enjoy the nights."

It was utterly adorable how Sander's face darkened with every word spoken and by the time 'virginity' left Donny's lips, the prince was pretty sure that Sander would just fall over any second now. Still with a deep-dark red face, Sander slowly – very slowly – laid down on the bed. Stiff as a blank, like he'd get thrown into the dungeon if he moved the wrong way. Donny's face softened as he crawled closer and placed his head on Sander's chest, hand laying on the well-defined stomach as Donny curved his own body against Sander's. Sander, very reluctantly so, laid one arm around the prince's back, pulling him some closer. Donny grinned, he could hear the loud thumping of Sander's nervous heart, after all. So Donny snuggled up to Sander some more, caressing Sander's sixpack.

"Calm down some, Sander", whispered Donny softly. "It's fine. Unless... it isn't. If this makes you uncomfortable and you don't want to be here, you don't have to, you know that, right? I _want_ to cuddle with you, but I don't want you to feel obliged, just because I'm... a prince..."

"N—No, it's alright, my prince", said Sander hastily, blush reaching his chest. "I—I want... this..."

"Then how about you call me 'Donny' instead of 'prince'? I think you shouldn't be so formal with the boy you're kissing", teased Donny, leaning up to hover over Sander's lips. "Or don't you want to kiss me anymore...? Because we also don't have to kiss. Look, I feel like I'm forcing myself onto you, because you're so... so... reluctant and distant. But I want to know if you want this too."

"I—I do", replied Sander, resting one nervously shaking hand in Donny's neck. "There's nothing I want more than you. It's just... so much. First I find my family, then I get the chance to become a knight and now the most beautiful prince ever wants to kiss me. But I want you, my... Donny."

A ridiculously happy grin split Donny's face as he was pulled down into a soft, tender kiss that felt as though it lasted the whole night, until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sammy will have good news for the future in the next chapter and Sander will have a lot of angst about the future in the next chapter!


	17. Royal Plans

_Chapter 17: Royal Plans_

"I can't wait for the big surprise!", exclaimed Donny excitedly.

He was with Derek, planning the 'big surprise'. They had been whispering for a couple days now. Apparently, they were adorable when they whispered and planned in hushed voices, according to Trend. The blonde was a bit in the back of the library, reading a book while occasionally exchanging a couple sentences with Ella or Octavian, who were both currently deep into their own readings. Only every other minute did Trend's eyes wander over to Derek and Donny, catching a hushed word or a giggle. Whatever they were cooking up, it would be good.

"Ah, there you are, boys!", exclaimed the queen's amused voice.

"This is a library, you need to hush your voice", chided Ella, shaking her head.

Percy laughed sheepishly as he sat down at the table with them. "So, Trend. I was looking for you."

"Yes, my queen?", inquired Trend, slowly putting his book down.

"The month of your visit is nearly over", stated Percy casually. "You'll leave soon."

"That's right", confirmed Trend, frowning some. "I think the time here was very healthy for Derek. Everything at home reminded him of his father and right after his death, Derek really needed the guidance you and your husband could provide. The change of scenery."

"What I'm worrying about is what will happen once you leave", continued Percy, not so casual.

"Me too", admitted Trend, his voice low. "Someone will get hurt... and it's most likely going to be Sammy. Derek and I are only just getting him attached to us, while Sander is already very important to him. But there's no way Sander would leave this palace again. Not now that he also has his family here, additional to his little obsession with Prince Donny."

"Yes. That's why I came looking for you", nodded Percy, frowning. "What do you think?"

"Sander will be happy here", stated Trend cautiously. "He has his family, the chance of a good life and I think that he views Prince Donny as... his greatest treasure. He also befriended Herc Grace so I think... I think Sander will be fine here. The one I'm worried about is... Sammy."

"I saw him sneaking around with Sara, laughing and joking. I think while Sander is busy with becoming a knight, he made another good friend. A friend that will come with you back to Fódhlandrasta. And... I think he's slowly falling in love with you and Derek. Once he knows he'll have a baby, I think the departure will come easier for him", offered Percy tentatively.

"I really hope so", sighed Trend, eyes trailing back over to Derek and Donny. "I really do..."

/break\

Sam was glad to catch his breath again. With his classes now, the additional tutoring he got from Thess and Donny and the overly affectionate masters he had gotten himself there, he barely had a minute to himself, to do what _he_ wanted. But right now, he did. He was sitting at the lake, with Derek's handmaiden Sara, Donny's bodyguard Herc and with Sander. Apparently, Herc was Sander's newest friend. Both boys were training become knights, both were strong and cunning. Sam was happy for Sander, because Sander was great and he deserved a lot of good friends who valued him.

"So... you and Donny...", drawled Herc, nudging Sander a little as Sander blushed. "Oh come on, I'm his bodyguard. I _know_. Besides, he barely talks about anything else aside from you."

"I—It's not like that. And I mean... it shouldn't...", drawled Sander, the blush diminishing.

Sam interrupted his little chatter with Sara – who was more than curious to hear about the princesses and the lessons – because he noticed that Sander was off. Sander was one of the most positive people Sam had ever seen in his entire life. Even at his lowest, even after beatings, Sander would always look forward to the sunrise or something else that had seemed so incredibly silly to Sam. Right now, he missed that. Because Sander looked sad and far-off. Like he was lost in thoughts, dark and depressing thoughts. Nothing that belonged into Sander's head, because Sander was bright and optimistic. He was the one who kept Sam even when Sam didn't want to anymore.

"What's wrong, San?", asked Sam softly, scooting closer to rest his shoulder against Sander's.

"N—Nothing", mumbled Sander dismissively.

"Right", snorted Sam, raising one unimpressed eyebrow. "Truth. Now. Or I'll fight you for it."

"I just... This morning, I saw the royal family talking to some fancy lord of something and the lord kept... uh... flirting with my prince and my prince...", drawled Sander, looking upset.

"Flirted back?", supplied Herc, arching one inquisitive eyebrow. "Donny's the heir to the throne. Even if he doesn't like someone's advances, he has to be police and charming, because our realm needs the allies. It doesn't mean that he's interested. I even saw him do it with females and that's entirely not his thing. At all. So don't worry about it, man."

"It's not that!", exclaimed Sander, glaring a little. "My prince is the purest being I've ever seen, he'd never do something vile like go being someone's back and kiss others!"

"Dear god, you're adorable", giggled Sara delighted. "So, what is it then?"

"He may not be flirting with... intentions, but... one day he will", whispered Sander, eyes scared. "He's the crown-prince. He will have to get married to someone... someone worthy for him at one point. Someone worthy of being a king. D—Donny may be mine now, but... he'll not be forever. And even though I _know_ I should be grateful for every minute of time that Donny is willing to spend with me, but... I'm selfish and greedy and a bad person, because I want him all to myself..."

"You're the _farthest_ away from being a bad person that I've ever seen", chided Sam with a serious frown, hitting Sander upside the head hard. "Idiot. You're in _love_ and it doesn't make you a bad person to want the one you love to be close to you. Have you tried... talking to him yet? See what kind of... wedding plans the royal family has for him? I know it may hurt, but I think not knowing is hurting you far more right now. So man up and talk to Donny."

"He's right", agreed Herc, both eyebrows raised.

/break\

After Sander and Herc left for training, Sara had to attend to her chores too, leaving Sam to his own devices. Which was a good thing too, because for once, he actually needed a moment to focus on himself, fully. He was nervous for a reason. He still remembered that day in the garden when Grover had told him about this weird herbs that colored the urine or something like that. And seeing as he and Derek had been trying for days now – thoroughly and very intensely so – he figured it would be a good idea to maybe just get himself checked. For the fun of it.

"What can I do for you, Samuel?", drawled Octavian, looking as thrilled as Sam felt.

/break\

Official meetings were boring. It made Derek hate being the king. He stared enviously over at King Nico, who had his queen sitting on his lap, fingers absentmindedly running through Percy's hair. Derek wanted that too. Having his sweetheart on his lap would at least allow him to enjoy those meetings a little. Sure, he had Trend, but the blonde was a _bore_. He took those official meetings way too serious, no groping or kissing or whispering dirty things. Only listening and making notes and discussing. Urgh. He couldn't wait until he was married to Sam and his queen would sit with him and he could enjoy cuddling Sam, at the very least.

"-You can't go in there!"

The jabbering royals, lords and advisers turned their heads toward the door. There were roughly fifty people in the room, discussing rather important tradings between Fólannia, Fódhlandrasta and the other Great Realms. It was the main thing Derek and Trend did ever since arriving in Lirawn, the main city of Fólannia. It was a good opportunity for the head-adviser and the king, who were both still new to the job, to get the needed guidance. King Nico and his staff helped them through things, renewing old contracts made by King Matthew and forging new ones. Lords from the other Great Realms had come to represent their realms, their cities. Those with importance to trading – the ones representing valuable cities with harbors, or with deep mines.

Now, the room was filled with fifty people, most of who took themselves far too important. So there were a lot of glaring people turning their heads to look at the one who just burst into the meeting. The two guards who had been outside before, were trying to hold the slave back. The slave with the cute mohawk and the delicious, delicious bronze-skin. Derek blushed embarrassed. Not because just seeing Sam turned him on, he was fine with that alright, but more so because his cute carrier was right now embarrassing him in front of, well, everyone. This was, after all, why Derek had suggested for Sam to share the lessons with Donny and the others, because he needed to know some basics about ruling and especially so a _lot_ about how a queen behaved. For example, not bursting into a meeting that was already in session. Still, Derek's embarrassment and irritation easily melted when all of a sudden, Sam was straddling his lap, arms around the king's neck.

"Samuel", said Trend next to Derek in that tone of voice that meant 'You get a spanking'.

Sam blinked owlishly, looking around as though he only then noticed everyone else in the room. A blush lit up his face. Derek frowned concerned. What had Sam that distracted that he didn't even take into account that this was a meeting with official (and prude) advisers and royals.

"I'm sorry, I just came back from the healer and I _really_ wanted to see you...", apologized Sam.

"Healer?", repeated Trend concerned, cupping Sam's cheek. "Are you alright? Are you unwell?"

"I'm pregnant!", exclaimed Sam, looking brightly at Trend and then at Derek.

At first, Derek was overwhelmed by the news, but then, what really knocked the air out of him was the expression on Sam's face. He was glowing brighter than the full moon, so happy and pure and true. This expression was one Derek wanted to see over and over again on Sam's face and he knew in that second he'd turn the world upside-down if it meant to keep Sam this happy.

"Did you hear?", roared Derek, a shit-eating grin on his face as he looked over the room. "I will be a father! This will be the heir to the Fódhlandrastan Islands!"

'This' was when Derek put his hands onto Sam's stomach, fingers spread to cover as much of the tasty sixpack beneath which his child was growing. The thought put him on a high, but it also made him feel a wholly new brand of fear. After all, he was only sixteen. The official age to be wed off in most realms, yes, he was also already a king and he'd need an heir, but it was still frightening.

"To the heir of Fódhlandrasta!", cheered Nico out, soon joined by all others in the room.

/break\

Donny was smiling like a lunatic as he entered his chambers that afternoon. After Sam's little announcement, they all didn't get done much. They broke out the booze and the lords were still celebrating. The fact that Fódhlandrasta had no heir, no one with a right to the throne if something was to happen to Derek, had set the other kings of the Great Realms on edge. It was like an invitation for assassins, to put it frank. Seeing the future ensured put them at ease. But Donny, he was mainly just really freaking happy for his friends. So when he was in his chambers, he half danced into his bathroom, shedding his clothes on the way. He was feeling like taking a nice, relaxing bath with some rose-petals and a cute flowery scent.

"M—My... D—Donny!"

Donny's eyes were as large as Sander's as they stared at each other. Sander was sitting in the tub and as always, he refused to use Donny's fancy scented bubbles because the silly former slave didn't think he'd _deserve_ them. Donny knew he still had a _lot_ of work to do with that one, because Sander was amazing and he deserved all the good things in the world. Anyway, clear water meant that Donny right now had quite the view on the naked brunette. Then again, Donny was just as naked. Their faces were competing in who could turn the reddest dark red possible.

"I am so sorry!", yelped Donny embarrassed, heart thumping like a caged bunny. "W—We really need to stop meeting like this, as much as I do enjoy the view. Uhm, didn't mean to say that loud."

He hastily grabbed one towel for himself and threw another at Sander. Sander stood and caught it, hastily wrapping it around his waist. Even censored, he was still impressive to look at. Donny gulped and licked his lips, unashamedly staring at Sander's sixpack, with water running down it and that little happy trail leading down to the towel. Donny licked his lips again.

"It's... uhm... okay. I mean, it's your bathroom", frowned Sander awkwardly. "I can get out..."

"No. I'm not chasing you out of the bathtub. Gods, I don't know what to do with you!"

Donny meant it playfully – a little genuinely frustrated too, maybe – because he truly wanted Sander to be more at ease and he'd be willing to do anything to accomplish that. But apparently, his words had been the wrong ones because Sander averted his eyes guiltily.

"I'm sorry I'm so much work", mumbled Sander, looking at his hands.

"No!", exclaimed Donny and rushed over to grab Sander's hands. "Please stop this. You're so... cheerful and happy and amazing. I don't like it when you're sad and guilty... Please tell me what I can do to make you stop, Sander. I care about you so much. I want you back to happy and carefree."

Sander frowned. Sam had said something similar, about him not being himself. And maybe he wasn't. Heaving a sigh, he leaned his head forward to rest his forehead against Donny's.

"I'm... overwhelmed", admitted Sander, sounding small. "I'm used to having nothing and _being_ nothing. It's easy to be optimistic when you have nothing to lose, you know? Things could only get brighter. When I only got water and dry bread to eat, I could think positive because maybe the next day, I'd get some scrapes of meat that the trader didn't want. When I meant nothing to anyone, I had no one I could disappoint. I didn't have to live up to any expectations, from no one. I had simple work that I had to fulfill, mindless and easy tasks. But now... Now I have this family, that I always thought I'd lost forever. A father and a mother who have expectations of me, a little sister who looks up to me, to whom I'm supposed to be a role-model. And the other knights, who expect me to catch up to the years of training that they're ahead of me. Suddenly, I have all this responsibility – behaving like the son of a sir, becoming a good knight, a job with _real_ responsibility. If I fail as a knight, others may die, so I have to become the very best. And now I have all this... this amazing, delicious food, this comfortable bed, the... safety and shelter. And I can't help but be afraid..."

"Of what?", whispered Donny, trying to coax the truth out of his Sander, holding onto him.

"Of losing it all again", admitted Sander, arms tightly around Donny's waist like he was afraid he'd slip away. "W—What if I'm a miserable knight and they kick me out? What if I disappoint my parents and they decide that they had been better off without me and don't want me anymore? What if I... c—can't stay here anymore? I'm growing so used to all of this, all of you, all the nice people and the nice things a—and for the first time in my life, I have something to lose – so much to lose. And the most precious thing I have... that's you. And if I'm not a knight anymore, I don't even have any right to be with you. B—But I know I don't have a right to be with you at all anyway, because you're the crown-prince and one day, you'll marry someone who'll be king and I'll... I'll be left behind and I'm _so scared_ of being left behind, because for the first time, I feel like I... belong..."

With that, Sander collapsed a little in the embrace, shoulders shaking as he started crying. Donny frowned concerned and held onto his knight, caressing his back and whispering soothing words.

"Clarisse and Chris spend so much time looking for you, missing you, they would never send you away – or let someone else send you away. You're their son and they love you unconditionally", whispered Donny soothingly. "And I've talked to Jason and Luke and they praise you highly. You're one of the fastest learners under the new knights. And even if you weren't, you'd always get the chance to improve. You're here to stay, Sander. No one will send you away a—and even if they'd try, _I_ would never let you be send away. Sander, please... Believe me, I'd never let you go, I'd never trade you for anyone. You're... You're mine. You're the only one that I want, Sander. You're... You're the only king I could picture at my side, because I trust you, I value you and I cherish you."

"But I'm no king. I'm just... me...", frowned Sander, rubbing his eyes.

"And that's what makes you perfect, silly", grinned Donny, pecking Sander's lips. "You're you and I love you for _you_ , for not being someone pretentious or pompous. You're... simple. And simple is good. Simple is _perfect_. I... I want you to trust me too, to tell me those things on your own, because I wanna be there for you when you're feeling down, because I don't like seeing you down..."

"...Love...?", echoed Sander, eyes wide and worried and panicked.

"Love", repeated Donny with a cheeky grin and kissed Sander passionately. "Because you're mine."

"Yours...", echoed Sander with a smile, content smile.

/break\

Sam was flustered and nervous as he laid beneath Trend. The blonde was kissing him quite passionately, making him relax some. It also helped that he had Derek's mouth on his cock, distracting him from Derek's fingers inside of him. He was pregnant, which meant he couldn't get pregnant by someone else. Which meant he could finally have sex with Trend. Which meant that he was a nervous mess at the moment, because Trend was _huge_. More than huge.

"So tight", breathed Derek against the tip of Sam's cock. "Taking me in so good. Sh, relax some more. We need you nicely loose so Trend won't hurt you, my sweetheart."

"You're so beautiful", whispered Trend with tender eyes. "You... glow."

"Don't be cheesy", huffed Sam embarrassed. "I'm like two days pregnant, I don't glow yet."

"You do", objected Derek as he added a fourth finger. "Because you're so happy. You're happier than I've ever seen you before, so you do glow. Now, do you think you're ready?"

He bit the inside of Sam's thigh, sucking to leave a mark. He liked marking his property. And he liked the way Sam whimpered at the bite. Still, when Sam nodded slowly, he removed himself from the pretty carrier to make room for Trend. Instead, he curled around Sam's head, kissing his cheeks.

"Sh, my sweetheart, Trend will make you feel real good", promised Derek, voice dark.

"W—Why do you call me _that_?", complained Sam with an annoyed frown. "It's girly."

"It's the truth", shrugged Derek unimpressed, kissing Sam's neck. "You have the sweetest, kindest heart I've ever encountered. The way you... do everything. How you're with Sander and how you interact with the little brats and with Donny. You have the sweetest heart, so you're my sweetheart."

"And you tell _me_ to stop being cheesy", grinned Trend, kissing Sam briefly.

"Yeah, I think you're both bad", muttered Sam embarrassed and irritated.

Trend laughed amused as he gently eased his way into the tight heat of their little carrier. Sam groaned a little as he was stretched more than ever before. The sheer size of the blonde was a whole new experience. And it was _amazing_. It took half of eternity until Trend was finally completely seated inside of Sam, making him gasp and pant at the new, full feeling. He knew he'd be sore in the morning, but the tender and slow way Tend handled his thick cock assured Sam that it'd be the good kind of sore. The kind that he started loving ever since he had first been with Derek.

"Can I move, Sammy?", asked Trend lovingly, hands holding onto Sam's hips.

"Uhu", nodded Sam, not trusting himself with words.

His fingers were clawed into Trend's biceps, holding onto the blonde for dear life as Trend finally started moving. Thrusting, in a settled and intimate pace that was driving Sam insane, in that slow and wonderful way. Every time Trend hit his prostate, Sam saw stars. Derek was half kneeling over Sam as he reattached his lips to Sam's cock. Sam gasped as he felt the warm, wet cave of his king around his cock and he would have wanted to protest to his king putting his lips onto his body like that, but the cheeky king had shown Sam just how incredible that mouth could be. Derek easily deep-throated Sam, his tongue swirling around the hardness, all while Trend was finally picking up his pace, thrusting harder into him. Every time Trend brushed against Sam's prostate, the carrier bucked up even more into Derek's mouth. He was so euphoric, still feeling kind of high after learning about his pregnancy and now all the attention he was getting, it was overwhelming. So even though he tried, he didn't last long. Whimpering softly, he spilled into Derek's mouth and the greedy king eagerly swallowed all he could get. While Derek licked every last drop off Sam's slowly softening cock, Trend thrust even harder to enjoy the tightening feeling until he too came. Sam groaned gluttonously as he was filled with Trend's load.

"You're so good", purred Derek, trailing kisses up Sam's chest. "So, so, so good..."

Trend laid down behind Sam, pulling the carrier close and kissing his temples. "Very good indeed."

Sam smiled, a carefree and happy smile, one that he hadn't worn since he had been forced to leave his family. Because this was it. This was his chance at his own family, with those two people who seemed to genuinely care for him and their child. He rested one hand on his belly. Trend and Derek joined, also resting their hands on Sam's well-defined sixpack, touches tender.

/break\

It was already late evening as Sander and Sam sat together at the lake, Sander still panting after another hard session of training. Sam grinned a little as they sat in companionable silence. Derek and Trend had left for another official thing of sorts and after some rest, Sam had decided to go and track down his best friend, who at this time was already in the middle of training.

"So... I have some news", chimed Sam with a grin. "I mean, you probably already heard from someone around the castle, but I still wanted to tell you myself. I'm pregnant."

"Wow...", gaped Sander with an awestruck expression. "Awesome, man! I mean, it is, right?"

He was cheerful at first but then reluctant because he didn't know what Sam was thinking. Sam laughed amused and went in for a hug, which instantly fired Sander up, because apparently it was awesome. After their hug, Sam rested his head on Sander's shoulder.

"So... I'll... apparently maybe really become the... queen... weird, huh?", drawled Sam.

"Mh. I think you'd be a great queen", grinned Sander, one arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Right", snorted Sam and rolled his eyes. "So, what's up with you? Talked to Donny already?"

"Y—Yeah. He said silly things about... wanting me and thinking I'd be a good king...", mumbled Sander with a frown. "I don't understand what... he's thinking there, but he made me happy with it."

"I think you'd be a good king", grinned Sam teasingly.

"Now you're making fun of me", accused Sander, glaring a little.

"I'd never, man", laughed Sam, ruffling Sander's hair. "I'm serious. You'd be a good and kind king."

"But... I can't help but think that... Donny deserves better", whispered Sander thoughtful.

"Stupid Sander", grunted Sam, hitting him upside the head. "It _so_ doesn't matter what you think. As long as Donny thinks that you're perfect, then you _are_."

"That... that would be nice", admitted Sander with a blush. "It's just... so much."

"I think it's a reward because you're awesome", shrugged Sam, head tilted a little. "You've always been kind to everyone – may it be us slaves or the animals. You've never been mean to anyone. You deserve something good, you deserve happiness. And you _so_ deserve Donny."

Sander smiled, a genuine smile. He'd like that. He'd like deserving Donny, being with Donny. He hugged Sam closer, hoping that at the end of the road, there were happy endings for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam's pregnant, Sander is happy. We're slowly heading toward the end of this story. Next chapter will have that 'big surprise' Donny is so eager about, filled with lots of fluff!


	18. A Royal Wedding

_Chapter 18: A Royal Wedding_

"I don't like it. It's weird and _way_ to revealing."

"Stop protesting", grunted Donny irritated. "And how still for a moment, will you?"

Sam just whined and tried not moving. Donny, Phyl and Thea were poking him and tugging on what they deemed an 'appropriate robe'. Sam thought it looked like an embarrassingly short dress, but as he had learned in his classes over the past days – do not question the customs of other realms. Be obedient and follow their tradition. Apparently, there was some kind of fancy celebration tonight and he was supposed to attend so now Donny, his adviser Thea and his handmaiden Phyl were dressing him how it was fit for such an occasion in Itannwn. Sam suspected that he could as well dress normally but they just enjoyed playing dress-up with him. Who was he to disobey the prince? Besides, the sooner they'd get this over with, the sooner he could go and check on Sander. The poor boy was going crazy since Prince Donny had asked him to be his official date for this whatever ceremony celebration thingy going on tonight. Granted, he was as nervous because he was actually supposed to attend too, _with_ Derek and Trend. They seemed to be taking this whole you'll-be-our-queen-one-day-thing very serious. It was to equal parts unsettling and flattering.

"What's this party about anyway?", asked Sam as Phyl started braiding flowers into his mohawk.

"Oh, you met Leo. He's always in for a party", dismissed Donny hastily, looking innocent.

Sam was suspicious for a moment, but then he remembered the Latino, who had orchestrated an impromptu _We got a royal baby_ party within less than twelve hours with all the important lords attending and enough food and entertainment for two hundred people.

/break\

Sander was having a mental melt-down. Between Donny saying he wanted him to be his was one thing, because it were just words. But Donny wanting him to be the prince's date on an official party? And Donny had been so cute and innocent when he had asked him this morning, completely casual – Do you want to be my date for tonight's party? How was he supposed to say no to that?

"Hey there. You look like someone ran your puppy over. Also... have you _ever_ tied a robe before, because that is absolutely wrong. Like, you couldn't do it any wronger."

Sander yelped slightly and turned a bit to see his father standing in the doorway, a faintly amused and fond smile playing on his lips. Faint because a lot of sadness mixed in as Chris entered. He couldn't help but think how old his son was already. A man. But the way he looked right then, with the toga wrapped half-around him like it was a blanket and he was a little kid hiding from morning, it made imagining it easier. Imagining to be the father who raised this boy to be the man he was now. All those missed years, they made Chris' throat tighten. He stepped up to Sander and freed him from the turquoise robes to readjust them the way they should be wrapped.

"Let me help you with that, mh?", offered Chris with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks. I never... wore something like that before", nodded Sander awkwardly, shifting.

"So... I heard you have quite the special date for tonight", stated Chris offhandedly.

Sander stiffened and nodded slowly. "I—I have _no idea_ what I'm supposed to even _do_!"

Chris couldn't help but laugh softly at that. "Don't worry, Chrysander. I believe once you realize what kind of party this is, you'll have no mind to worry about that anymore."

"What's that even supposed to mean?! Now I'm even more nervous!", complained Sander.

Chris just laughed and finished fastening Sander's robes.

/break\

Sam was highly confused by the time the party was rolling around. He had expected for his masters to come and collect him, really. But instead, it had been a giggly Sara who had come to get him and Sander. Sander had told him about that kinda weird but nice moment with his dad earlier and how nervous he was about the date. Sara's giggly behavior however was highly distracting.

"Okay, either you stop it with the large grin, or you let us in on the joke", demanded Sam annoyed.

The short ginger just grinned impishly as she opened the door to the dining hall. "You'll see."

This definitely did not look like a regular party. Octavian stood up under the arch of the balcony, strict clothes and a scroll in his hand. In front of him stood Trend and Derek, who looked entirely too amazing to be true. Nico and Percy were on one side of them, Donny and Marshall on the other.

"What... uhm... is happening here?", asked Sam confused as he was pushed forward.

"Yes. Confused right here!", agreed Sander, pointing at himself.

"You, best man", stated Sara, pushing Sander. "And you... bride."

Sam stammered some incoherent words as he was practically thrust into Trend's arms. The blonde held onto him and turned him to face Derek, who had a smirk on his face that meant nothing good.

"What does she mean by 'bride'?", asked Sam, looking from his masters to everyone else.

Literally everyone else was gathered in a half-circle around them. All were wearing fancy robes and sitting on pillows and watching them entirely too interested. Feeling a bit intimidated, Sam tried to hide in Trend's rather strong and very protective arms. He liked being held by those arms.

"I love you, sweetheart", replied Derek, grasping Sam's face by his cheeks. "And I know how unsure you are about your... role, so I asked Leo to put a surprise wedding together."

"Wedding?", echoed Sam confused, turning to look at Donny for some help.

"Our country allows polygamy, unlike Fólannia", explained Donny with a small smile.

"We'll get married at home too", assured Derek softly, rubbing his thumbs tenderly over Sam's cheeks. "But you know our law. I can only wed you after the birth of our baby. I want you assured that you're mine right from here on out though. And... well, there's that blonde hunk behind you to consider too. I kinda love him. I can't marry him. I can only marry you, by our kingdom's laws and traditions. But here, I can have both of you. We figured this would be a good deal. The three of us would be officially bonded by Itannwn's laws. Now, please tell me Leo's efforts weren't for naught."

"Don't you dare say no!", called Leo loudly from the first row until he got elbowed by his very embarrassed oldest daughter. "What? They're a catch! And we want another carrier-queen!"

Sam blushed furiously as the guests started laughing and cheering at Leo's comment. Honestly, Sam had thought about marriage before. When he had been a lord, believing he'd one day ask for the hand of a damsel in distress that he had saved. This was as far from anything he had ever pictured as possible. And it couldn't be any more perfect. Biting his lips, he nodded slowly.

"So... uhm... that means... all three of us, right? But... in nine months, we do this again, with only you and me... my king?", asked Sam a little unsure, looking from Derek to Trend and back.

"Yes... my queen", replied Derek with a teasing and loving smile.

Sam's face turned some darker, but he nodded nonetheless. He wanted to be Derek's and Trend's. He wanted to be... the queen to Derek's king. For the first time in too long, he felt like he had a goal again, thanks to his talk to Queen Percy. He was a born leader, he had proven so when he had been the general of the army. Maybe he could be a good queen. Maybe he could take good care of his country. He would change things, for himself and for other carriers. Percy was right, he could make a difference if he was queen. Taking a shaky breath, he straightened his back, looking insecurely over at Sander. The brunette knight-in-training still looked a little confused, but also extremely happy, nodding wildly as though he was trying to encourage Sam. How could Sander be so cute?

"Well, are we doing this or not, because I had different plans for tonight and they involved that fine knight over there in entirely less robes", interrupted Octavian irritated.

Luke, in the first row with Jason, Chris, Ethan and the Stolls to guard the ceremony, was blushing embarrassed and trying to glare at Octavian and his now giggling guards simultaneously.

"Yes. We are doing this. And try being civil", chided Percy with a nasty look.

"Well then. We all gathered here today to bless the union between King Derek of the clan of Rhys, heir to the late King Matthew, ruler under the sun of the Fólannian Islands, Lord Trendafil Ignatius of the clan of Austin, adviser to the king, and...", Octavian paused for a moment and Sam made a face, not proud of what would follow. "Lord Samuel Elijah James the Third of the clan of Raser, former general of Fódhlandrasta, future queen under the moon of the Fólannian Islands."

Sam blushed and stared wide-eyed from the unimpressed adviser-doubling-as-a-priest over to his widely grinning king. He could feel Trend's large, warm hand on his lower back, caressing him tenderly. The blood was pumping loudly between his ears and he could barely understand Octavian.

"Are you willing to love, protect, cherish and care for one another? Do you vow to spend the rest of your lives with each other, even after your bodies fade and your souls move on to be stars?"

"I do", announced Derek loudly and firmly, holding Sam's and Trend's hands.

"I do", followed Trend, also holding the hands of his two lovers.

Sam was too dazed by about everything as Trend and Derek continued holding his hands and staring at him with what could only be described as loving looks. Love. He wasn't just a slave. They wanted him. They wanted to marry him, they wanted him to be their queen, their equal partner.

"That's the part where you're supposed to say 'I do'", whispered Donny, nudging Sam.

Sam blushed and looked at the best men side of this ceremony. Donny, Marshall and Sander were looking at him amused, like they wanted to urge him on. He turned back to his masters. No, future husbands. That thought made his blush turn even darker. For too many months now, he had thought he'd be nothing more than a slave, the property of someone. But someone truly wanted him.

"I... I do", whispered Sam nervously, shifting a bit.

"Well then, exchange kisses and we can move on to the food", grunted Octavian bored.

Sam bit his lips as he watched Trend and Derek kiss. It was, as always, extremely hot to watch them. They were just perfect together. As they parted, Derek immediately pulled Sam into a soft and loving kiss. If it would go according to Derek's liking, he'd have kissed Sam for about an hour, but at some point, Trend butted in, pushing Derek out of the way and pulled Sam into a kiss of their own. All the kissing made Sam feel dizzy and that people actually cheered for them, clapping and standing and some even whistling. His lips were swollen as they parted, panting softly.

/break\

Sander was going crazy as he sat at one table with the royal family, holding hands with Donny beneath the table. The queen and the king were sitting at the head of their table, next to the newly weds. Sander's eyes flittered over to Sam, who sat between Trend and Derek, all flushed and looking so incredibly happy. It was cute and deep down, Sander wanted that happiness too.

"Chrysander, if you'd please take a deep breath and try relaxing", suggested Nico amused.

"I'm sorry", mumbled Sander and blushed. "It's just... really hard..."

"You're a young lord, a knight in training to our kingdom", pointed Percy out, smiling amused. "There's nothing in our laws to forbid you to court the prince."

"Yeah... I... uh... guess so", sighed Sander and tried to take a calming breath.

"You're _so_ cute", whispered Donny with a soft smile, kissing Sander's cheek.

Donny's lips were soft and warm and Sander loved the feeling of them against his skin. When he looked over at Donny and got lost into those kind, sea-green eyes, he knew he had to get his act together. When even the king and the queen told him he had the right to court this amazing and sweet prince, then he should _really_ try, because he wanted. He wanted to be with Donny forever, but if there was even the slightest chance of him ever becoming king, he needed to make an actual effort. With a shaky smile on his lips, Sander tried to straighten his back some. He needed to start behaving like a lord and a knight, if that was what he wanted to be. Because only a knight and lord could court a prince. He stood to get some of Donny's favorite food from farther down the table and placing it in front of his prince, offering him a genuine smile.

"Thank you, that is very considerate", said Donny with a smile of his own.

"Anything for the most beautiful prince", grinned Sander happily.

Now it was Donny's turn to blush, especially when his mother started giggling. Though Percy was soon distracted by Hazel Pandora wailing for attention and Jack squeezing in between them to look why his baby sister was crying. He really wanted to be a good, responsible big brother, it was cute.

"Sh, no crying. Sammy is becoming queen and Sander wants to be Donny's king. That's happy things", chided Jack with a frown, poking Dora's nose. "No crying. Today is happy! Smile!"

He started tickling her stomach until she laughed and the laughter of the baby-princess was like the chiming of bells and it brought smiles to the faces of all the wedding guests.

/break\

So maybe the too short, white, soft robes were a bit embarrassing, but knowing it were wedding robes had made Sam feel better about it. Especially when Trend was carrying him over the threshold of their chambers, with Derek caressing his ankle tenderly.

"Ready for our wedding night, babe?", asked Derek teasingly as Trend entered the room.

"Oh no, you stay put", ordered Trend as Derek wanted to follow him.

Derek frowned and wanted to protest. After all, there was a cute Sammy sprawled out on the bed, legs bare and pulled up some. But when his blonde returned to him to hoist him up in those strong arms, all protest died on Derek's tongue. Grinning a bit, the young king snuggled up to his adviser and let Trend carry him over the threshold and over to the waiting carrier.

"So... how are we doing this?", inquired Derek as he ran his hands up and down Sam's thighs.

"I wanna see you two fuck, masters", requested Sam with sparkling eyes. "I mean, I never..."

"All you saw between us so far were blowjobs", agreed Trend thoughtful and a tad amused. "But, Sammy, we're your husbands now. How about you try our names for a chance, mh?"

Sam frowned, not saying anything. Derek all the while unwrapped his two delicious husbands. He loved that Itannwn allowed polygamy and even though the three of them couldn't be married by their home's laws, but that didn't matter. They had promised themselves to each other and that was all that mattered. By the time Sam and Trend were naked, Derek hastily fetched the oil.

"So... how about I fuck you, Sammy, while Trend fucks me?", suggested Derek with dark eyes.

"Yes, master", nodded Sam eagerly, licking his lips.

Trend frowned thoughtful and grabbed Sam's wrists, pinning him to the mattress. "Now we'll try this differently. No touching until you use our names, Sammy."

"I've done this before, but funny enough the other way around", mused Derek with a grin. "You know, making the cute sub call me 'master' instead of my name."

"N—No, you can't do that!", protested Sam wide-eyed.

"Sh, calm down, sweetheart", whispered Derek and leaned down to kiss him. "You're safe with us."

"I don't... I can't... I...", stammered Sam together, frowning confused.

"You will be the queen. You can not possibly call your adviser 'master'", argued Trend amused.

"Oh. Right, good point", nodded Derek in agreement, kissing Sam again. "Spread your legs."

Sam hastily obeyed, glad for the distraction. Because Trend probably did have a point. He wasn't a slave anymore. If he was going to be the queen, he would be a figure of authority and power. A moan interrupted his thoughts as Derek eased two fingers into him, teasing him. Derek's movement was fluent and consistent until Trend's own prodding fingers interrupted him. Derek yelped a little and turned to glare at the blonde, who just smirked back at him. Trend wasn't one for warnings, he liked to rile the short-tempered little brunette up some. Angry or irritated Derek was cute.

"T—That's... good", gasped Sam when Derek brushed his prostate. "More please?"

When Sam looked at him with half-lid, lust-ladden eyes, there was no way he could ever deny Sam anything. Adding a third finger, Derek leaned down to circle one of Sam's nipples with his tongue, teasing it until it was hard and then biting it playfully. Sam beneath him arched his back and went slack. Interesting. This new weakness needed to be - "Son of a bitch!" - Derek turned to glare at Trend who had just pinched his ass pretty hard. The blonde smiled innocently, kissing his shoulder.

"I'd like to have some of your attention too, my king", requested the blonde cheekily.

Derek huffed and spread his knees some, allowing Trend better access as the blonde added a second finger and started stretching the young king. A whine from Sam got Derek's attention and okay, being in the middle of such a thing was a little challenging for his attention. He bucked back against Trend's administration while focusing on teasing Sam's nipples and preparing the carrier. The former slave groaned annoyed when Derek pulled out and made no movement to start fucking him.

"If you want my dick inside your deliciously tight ass, then say my name", challenged Derek.

"Please, master", started Sam, offering his very best kicked-kitten-eyes.

"Not the name I wanna hear", chimed Derek amused, swatting Sam's flank hard.

Sam yelped, then moaned. "Please, my king? Your queen _really_ wants your long, thick scepter!"

Trend laughed, loud and rich, looking at Sam fondly over Derek's shoulder. "Cute, but try again."

Sam frowned with what was definitely a defiant pout. "Please... D—Derek..."

Even before his life as a slave, when he had been a small lord and then a general, calling the king by his name just like that; unthinkable. The smile he got from Derek in return was rather blinding though as the young king eased his way in and leaned down to kiss Sam passionately. Trend took that as his sign to move in too. He grasped Derek's slender waist firmly and pushed in slowly. Coordinating their movements was a bit complicated, but after a few awkward thrusts, they got the hand of it and when Derek thrust forward into Sam, so did Trend.

"Would you like me to jerk you off?", inquired Trend after a while, grasping Sam's cock between Derek's and Sam's bodies, chocking it tightly. "You know what you have to say, Sammy."

"Wanna come", nodded Sam, gasping for breath as Derek tortured his prostate, the king's cock stretching him in all the right ways. "Please lemme come? Make me come, T—Trend!"

The blonde smiled in a praising manner and started caressing Sam's dick. Teasing the head, he ran his fingers along the length. Sam moaned, completely blissed out. Trend was jerking him off, Derek was fucking him slow and hard and he had that perfect view on Trend pounding Derek. So it was entirely not his fault that he came first, painting Derek's chest white. The king grunted pleased as he felt Sam's muscles contracting around him. He picked up the pace, thrusting as deep as possible as he felt his own orgasm approaching, urged on by Trend's thick cock poking his prostate. He arched his back so Trend had better access to his neck, nibbling and kissing him. As his pulse was caught by Trend's teeth, Derek came deep inside his still whimpering carrier. Sam moaned softly at being filled like that, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck to pull the king into a loving kiss. Trend grunted amused as he got shoved out of the way, forced to let go of Derek's neck so Sam could properly kiss Derek. As demanding and cheeky as Derek, Trend really knew how to pick them. Though now that Derek was on all fours, Trend could move easier. With this angle, he hit deeper and better, causing Derek to occasionally moan into his kiss with Sam, the carrier more than eager to swallow any moan from his king. Watching them kiss, Trend reached his own orgasm to the picture of their flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips, moans being exchanged during the kiss. Panting hard, Trend pulled out and collapsed on the bed. Derek crawled over him, not minding him at all, pulling Sam along all the while. Trend smiled softly as his two husbands were curled together on either of his sides, heads resting on his shoulders. He loved those two.

"Good start into married life?", asked Derek with a loving grin, looking at Sam.

"The best", panted Sam, running a finger through the cum-strain on Derek's chest and licking it up.

"We'll leave for our honeymoon tomorrow", offered Trend, earning a knee-to-the-ribs from Derek. "Ouch. He should know that we're leaving tomorrow. After all, he got attached to everyone too."

"Where are we spending our honeymoon?", asked Sam curiously.

He had known they wouldn't stay here forever. Sander and Sam had gotten mentally prepared for their separation for a few days now. The lessons with the royals had been a dead give-away. Derek had wanted for him to get a head-start with his lessons while they were still with the princes and princesses. It was inevitable for them to return to their own kingdom again, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. He was going to miss Sander, Donny, Phyl, the cute little princes and princesses, the king and the queen. But he still had Trend and Derek, he would have their baby in a few, short months and Itannwn was only a two to three days journey from Fólannia.

"Erighrá. We thought since the season fits, our summer castle would be nice for maybe a week before we continue the journey back home to the main castle", replied Derek. "That okay?"

There was honest concern in Derek's eyes and Sam couldn't help but smile. "Yes. It's fine, Derek."

"Mh... I like how my name sounds from your lips", purred Derek delighted, kissing Sam.

"I love you two", whispered Trend fondly, nosing both their hair. "Now sleep some, mh?"

/break\

Fighter and Rush were fastened in front of the carriage by Sara while Trend and Marshall were stowing their belongings away. Sam was sandwiched between Jack, Jimmy, Silly and Sander, all of them crying openly as they hugged goodbye. Derek all the while was being suffocated by Donny and Phyl. Nico and Percy stood back, smiling as they watched the children.

"Can't I just keep them?", asked Sam as he had Jimmy and Silly hanging off his legs.

"You can not", grunted Nico with a warning glare.

"You'll soon have your own", smiled Percy and pulled Sam into a half-hug (minding Dora who was nestled against Percy's chest). "And you can come and visit mine as often as you want."

"We'll see each other in nine months", promised Donny as he moved on to hug Sam. "On your second wedding and the baptism of your baby. And until then, we can write letters, right?"

"R—Right", agreed Sander between sobs, invading the hug. "I'll miss you so much, bro!"

"If you'd hand my husbands over now, that would be lovely", grunted Trend unimpressed. "Because otherwise we'll be off our time-plan and I'd like to camp safely at night and not in a forest."

Donny and Sander reluctantly let go and stepped back. Noticing the tears still running down Sander's cheeks, Donny laid his arms around Sander's waist and leaned his head against his waist as they watched the chariot ride along and disappear in the distance. He understood. After all, Sam had been Sander's first friend and letting him go now, it must hurt a lot.

"We'll see them again", promised Donny softly, standing on his tip-toes to kiss Sander's cheek.

"P—Promise?", asked Sander unsure, rubbing his eyes.

"Like Donny said, in nine months when the Fólannian Islands welcome their heir and the king will be able to make Samuel his queen, there will be a great ceremony and the royals of all allied countries will be invited to celebrate", answered Nico. "And depending on how well you fare in your little... courting, you may accompany Donny as his official plus-one."

Sander's cheeks heated up. Being Donny's date during a festivity in their own realm was one thing, but such a great event like a baptism and a coronation with so many other royals attending? The next few months would be hard work for Sander. He still had a lot to learn and a lot to prove, but looking at his cute prince, he knew it would be worth it in the end. Very much worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a bit of a montage through the honeymoon, Sam's pregnancy and the dating life of Sander and Donny~


	19. Life of a Royal Family

_Chapter 19: Life of a Royal Family_

"My boy, my beautiful, beautiful boy! I missed you so, so much... I—I thought I'd never see you again when they took you... Oh, you look so... so beautiful... My baby..."

Sam wasn't sure how to compute, because he also had believed to never see his mother again. Yet here she was, clinging to him for dear life and crying into his shoulder. He too was crying, tears flowing freely as he was held in the secure arms of his mother. Five days ago, they had left Itannwn and now they were here, in Erighrá, the most beautiful city in all of the kingdoms. They had barely gotten settled in the summer castle when Trend and Derek had ushered him to the great hall for dinner, where his family was awaiting him. His mother and aunt and uncle and cousins. And his grandfather. But right now, Sam was stuck between his mother, aunt and uncle.

"You have this... glow to yourself, Samuel", whispered aunt Malene softly.

"What are you doing here? In this castle? In those clothes?", asked uncle Liam concerned.

"I... uh...", stammered Sam, growing more nervous as everyone seemed to stare at him.

"He is carrying the royal heir of our country", announced Derek cheerfully as he and Trend finally stepped up to the Raser family, laying one possessive arm around Sam's waist. "And when my heir is born, he will be the queen to all of the Fólannian Islands."

A gasp went through the rows and his mother seemed to cling even more onto Sam and cry even harder. Trend stepped closer and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Lady Raser, are you alright?", asked Trend concerned.

"I—I... I think I need a minute to digest. And please, my name is Jolene, my Lord."

Sam hastily guided her over to the table where they all slowly sat down. All aside from his grandfather, who just kept staring at him like he was the greatest disgrace in all of the known kingdoms. Flinching subconsciously, he pressed himself against Derek's side.

"General Raser, would you like to join your king?", asked Derek with false cheer.

Sam's grandfather flinched and Sam knew why. The king, the one person to demand full respect, was showing a trade that was the most vile thing the man could picture. Being gay. For his disgrace of a grandson, at that. Sam snuggled up to Derek some more, reassured by his king's hold.

"Your grandson is worth far more than what the trader paid you though", added Trend darkly.

"I did what was right", spat the general agitated. "What was the law."

"You betrayed your own blood", countered Derek with all the authority of a king. "Either sit _down_ and be civil, or turn and leave my kingdom for good. Sammy made it clear that he does not wish to see you punished, but if you don't prove your intentions changed, I will remove you from my kingdom. Because I will not stand to have someone opposing my future queen in this kingdom."

Sam's grandfather growled, but he sat down without a word. His own thoughts put aside, the Raser family had been loyal to the line of Rhys for as long as the kingdom existed. It was an uneasy dinner, but it was also the best Sam had in too long, because his mother was here and his uncle with the proud eyes, his aunt with the knowing gaze and his cousins, who bombarded him with a million questions. Sam was sure they'd get along wunderfully with Itannwn's royal heirs.

/break\

"It was a beautiful evening", whispered Donny with a far-off look on his face.

He sat at the outskirts of the woods, his feet dangling into the river. It was their fifth date since their friends had parted ways two months ago. It had taken Sander some time and courage to officially ask Donny out – and even so, their dates never strayed from the watchful eyes of the castle, as was proper. After all, Donny was the heir to the throne and courting had to be done properly. Nothing inappropriate was allowed to happen. Not that Donny would want it. He loved Sander, he wanted him properly. To marry him and be his forever, no disgrace for either family.

"Y—Yeah, I... uh... did my best", nodded Sander, face dark red.

They had been out on a picnic, riding their horses together. Trickster and Shadow were drinking from the river as Donny and Sander gazed into the stars and the moonlit sky. The night was beautiful, albeit a little chilly. Shuddering a bit, Donny scooted closer to Sander. He liked the way Sander's face would light up when they were snuggled up like this. He called it cuddle-pink.

"Did you get another letter from Sam?", asked Donny to ease Sander's nerves.

It was ridiculous and adorable at the same time that Sander was still so nervous when it was just the two of them. Instantly, Sander relaxed more. He and Sam kept writing each other – a dove took only two days of travel to bring a letter from Fódhlandrasta.

"Yeah. He's already showing, you know?", answered Sander with a large grin. "Calls the baby Bumpy because it's a tiny bump. And he says it's totally embarrassing how Derek and Trend fuss over Bumpy, but he loves it anyway. Uh, both, the baby and the attention, I mean..."

"Oh, I can't wait for it", grinned Donny, resting his head against Sander's shoulder. "Once... Bumpy is born, we get to see them again, on the, ah, official wedding of King Derek and Queen Samuel."

"And... And you really wanna take me with you?", asked Sander worried and nervously.

Donny smiled a little at that. As his parents had suggested two months ago, he could take Sander as his official plus one, as the future consort to the queen. Sander was still skeptical about his place at Donny's side. Donny had absolutely no doubt about that though. Sander had the biggest heart on this planet and he was exactly what Itannwn needed. The perfect king.

/break\

"So gorgeous. So beautiful. So... glowing", whispered Derek in total awe.

Between every sentence, he place a kiss on Sam's round midsection. The former general glared down at his king, cheeks deeply flushed. This was utterly embarrassing, but he still enjoyed it and that made it even worse actually. Granted, he loved this castle and their chambers. The bed was giant and fluffy and comfortable and he had a perfect view on the large rose-garden – the pride of the late queen. Sometimes, Sam would just lay in the bed and laze around, watching the garden. Derek's new favorite pastime however was to shower Sam's pregnant belly with kisses.

"You're so embarrassing, Der", groaned Sam, half hiding his face in the pillow.

"Sh. You get a massage", chided Derek, trailing kisses up Sam's belly-button to his chest.

"You are not the one massaging his feet, Derek", grunted Trend unimpressed.

"Oh what, are you complaining?", huffed Derek and rolled his eyes.

Trend offered him a half-smirk and continued rubbing Sam's sour feet. He was indeed not complaining. There was something about the strong, sun-kissed legs and the blissful sounds Sam would make when his aching feet were being rubbed in all the right places.

"You got a dove from Itannwn this morning", stated Trend casually to change the topic. What did it say, Sammy? Sander complaining about General Castellan's harsh regime again?"

Sam sat up a little to look down at the two, a grin splitting his face. "He wants to officially ask for Donny's hand. Took him half a year, but he _finally_ thinks that Donny is the right place for him."

"Wonderful news!", agreed Derek with an equally large grin, kissing Sam's belly again. "You hear that? Auntie Donny and uncle Sander are getting married."

"And so are mommy and daddy", added Trend, raising one eyebrow. "Phylicia is going crazy about the flower-arrangements already. It's... not much longer. Three more months to go, mh?"

"And you're really fine being our priest?", asked Sam skeptically. "I mean..."

"I want to be part of this wedding and if that is the only way I can, I will gladly do so", assured Trend with a small smile, leaning over to place a kiss on Sam's knee. "I'm aware that the king can only have one royal consort. Politically speaking, you are a wonderful choice as queen. I'm glad to know that you will be safe and that you will never have to fear that anyone would take you away from us, Sammy. Besides, you two are my husbands. Whether it be our law or that of Itannwn, I know that I vowed to be yours and to protect and love you forever. That is all that matters."

Sam blushed faintly as he smiled at the blonde. It was true and he'd also agree to it. All that truly mattered was that they knew how much they loved each other and how much they loved this child. Resting one hand on his belly, Sam watched his two lovers and husbands. The past half year truly had helped him settle with his feelings and his new position. Sure, he had enjoyed classes with Miss Rachel more, but now at home – his new home – it wasn't too bad either. He learned something new every day and he knew he would grow to be a good queen. Hopefully.

/break\

The day was perfect. After seven months at Donny's side, Sander knew exactly what to do to create the perfect day for his prince. It had started off with the help of Silly, Jimmy and Jack. The three adorable ones brought Donny breakfast in bed, which meant Donny got to cuddle with the little ones a bit and laze about. Sander knew how much Donny loved to take the time for his family. Which was why after that, Sander arranged for the special dance-teacher that Donny adored so much to teach a class personally for Donny, Thess and Percy Junior. Sander had, after his training, dropped by to watch and saw how beautiful Donny was, dancing and happy and laughing. After the dancing, Sander picked Donny up for a picnic at the lake, where they ate Donny's favorite food together and talked about Sam's latest latter about pregnancy pains and fussing husbands.

"Today was great and I have a feeling you had your fingers in there", chimed Donny.

He leaned back against Sander's chest, looking up at the brunette. He was seated on Sander's lap, with Sander's arms around his waist. Both were down to their linen shorts they wore for swimming, water running down their bodies as they sat relaxed at the stones. After their picnic they had gone swimming and cuddling and more swimming and some snacking.

"I wanted today to be perfect for you, my Donny", whispered Sander with a large grin.

"Perfect?", echoed Donny confused, turning his head to look at Sander closer. "Why? Did I miss something? Some kind of anniversary or... or a birthday? Is it my birthday?"

"No", laughed Sander and shook his head. "Wait. Sit. I'll be right back."

Donny nodded numbly and watched how Sander hurried over to their basket. Sander had started blossoming a few months ago and for the last three or so weeks, Donny actually had the feeling that Sander had gotten used to life around here. He walked straighter, with the pride of a knight. He was proud of his family and he was willing to be seen with Donny. Not that he had been ashamed of Donny before, but he had been ashamed on his own account, thinking he was not worthy of Donny. But finally, Donny felt as though Sander was actually confident about being worthy of courting Donny. A smile spread on his lips as he watched Sander walk back, all red-cheeked.

"Oh. You got me a present?", asked Donny teasingly. "You're so cu-"

Sander had gotten him presents before. Cute little presents that made Sander's face basically explode because it was so deep red it looked as though all of Sander's blood was in it. This however was not one of Sander's regular little presents. It was a beautiful silver ring with a sapphire set in it.

"I... asked your parents' consent and... well, this was the ring your father used to propose to your mother and he gave it to me, together with his blessings", stammered Sander nervously. "I—I've been... courting you for months now a—and Miss Rachel said it's time to make this official before some kind of rumors start and I don't want there to be rumors about you, because you're perfect and you'd never do something inappropriate. S—So do you... officially want to be... uh... Do you want to marry me? I mean, not now, but... uhm... Do you want to be engaged to me?"

"How can you be that cute?", giggled Donny with tears in his eyes from happiness. "Yes! Yes!"

Sander actually slumped back in relief at that. Even though Donny kept saying he loved Sander and everyone pushed them and said they were the perfect match, there was still a bit of fear left that Donny would say no and choose someone else. Donny laughed and threw himself at Sander, hugging the air out of him and showering his face with delighted kisses.

What neither of the boys knew was that four people were huddled up in the forest, watching them. Percy had his own face-splitting grin on his lips as he watched his son jump around and kiss Sander. He had never seen Donny that happy before. Grabbing Nico's hand and squeezing tightly, Percy turned to look at his husband, a sparkle in his sea-green eyes that showed Nico what Percy was thinking at that moment. Nico smiled and leaned down to peck Percy's lips. Percy was quite obviously thinking about their own engagement all those years ago.

"It was about time", grunted Clarisse next to them, chest puffed out in pride.

"Our son, the future king...", muttered Chris in awe, shaking his head some.

Percy giggled a little as he saw just how ridiculously proud those two were of their son.

/break\

Thess heaved a happy sigh as he scribbled onto a scroll. Granted, his blue was out because Jack was laying sprawled out next to him, drawing messily onto another scroll. When Jack had come to him and asked what he was doing and he had answered he was planning Donny's wedding, Jack decided he wanted to help. Thess had no idea what exactly Jack was drawing, but it was very blue.

"That's beautiful, love. What are you doing?"

Thess startled a little as this was whispered into his ear. Craning his neck, he looked at Luke. The blonde was kneeling over Thess, who was laying on the ground. Luke grinned and kissed Thess' earlobe, continuing down his jawline and then down his neck to his shoulder. Shuddering a little, Thess bared his neck for his blonde knight-in-training. Luke grinned against his neck.

"Planning my brother's wedding. I know it'll be months, maybe even over a year or more, but... I am _so_ looking forward to it", giggled Thess, getting lost in Luke's blue eyes.

"You're so cute when you care about your siblings", whispered Luke tenderly. "Gods, I love you."

"Y—Yeah, I... I love you too", mumbled Thess nervously embarrassed, pecking Luke's lips.

He was always a little embarrassed about admitting his feelings out loud, because even though he loved Luke beyond measure, he didn't know if he'd get to keep him. Suddenly, he grew sad again and pushed Luke off a bit. The blonde looked confused for a minute before sitting up.

"I just... I have something to do. Could you watch Jackie for a bit?", mumbled Thess.

"Uh... Sure", nodded Luke, still looking confused as he pulled Jack into his lap. "Hey there, squid, what are you doing there, mh? It's very... ah, blue."

"It's Donny! Look, he's wearing a pretty blue dress and that's all the sea and there's a blue sea-horse and a blue dolphin and there's the sun up there smiling because he's all happy for Donny!", explained Jack happily, pointing at the scribbled figures on the blue-on-blue picture.

Thess smiled a little as he threw a last look at Jack and Luke before heading out. This was it, he _needed_ to know. He knew he was the third oldest child of the king and queen. His oldest sister Bianca Maria, the rightful heir of the throne, had assigned her rights and given a vow of virtue to join the all-female army-force of Itannwn. Every woman, whether a lady or a peasant, was allowed to join the Huntresses, resigning their social status to serve the country. This special army had been in place for as long as Itannwn was around. It was more than rare for a princess to join though, especially so for the heir to the throne. But with seven children, the king and queen reluctantly allowed it. Which, by default, made Donny heir to the throne. Donny would rule over Itannwn, with Sander as his king at his side. Thess, as the second one now, would most likely be married off to the best ally, to strengthen their bond. And the thought made Thess tremble a bit. When he reached his parents' door, he cautiously knocked, biting his lower lip nervously.

"Yes? Who's bothering my royal queen-time?", grunted his father from the other side.

"Oh. Ew, eh uh, I didn't mean to interrupt, papà", mumbled Thess softly.

"You're not interrupting anything, honey!", called his mother out, laughing a little. "Come on in."

Thess still blushed as he opened the door, but he felt relieved when he found his parents, smiling a little. Nico was sprawled out on the bed, with Dora tugged under one arm, while Percy was laying on his other side, caressing Dora's cheek as he was resting his own cheek on Nico's shoulder. This was what he loved about his parents and about their relationship. They loved each other, truly and deeply. They weren't an arrangement, or a political liaison. And he wanted that too.

"What's wrong, my dear? You look sad", observed Percy and sat up, instant worried mommy-mode.

"I love Luke", whispered Thess, taking a deep breath to gather his courage. "I love him more than... more than anything. And I know he loves me just as much and I know he'd never say something to you, because he knows I'm a prince and I should... choose a political marriage to help our kingdom, but I don't want to. I don't want anyone but Luke. I want him and only him."

There was this mischievous smile on Percy's lips as he looked from Thess to Nico and back, not that Thess saw it because he was staring intensely at the floor. Nico heaved a long-suffering sigh and sat up too, leaning back against the headboard. Thess flinched. He knew he was a disappointment.

"Come here, bambino", ordered Nico, patting the spot next to him on the bed.

"I—I'm sorry. I love him, I don't want to lose him and I don't want to see him sad and I knew that it would break his heart to see me marrying someone else and _I_ don't wanna marry someone else..."

"We know, my sweetling", whispered Percy and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Your father and I have known that for over a year now, Theseus. Granted, at first we leaned back and watched, thinking it may blow over, it may only be a short-lived teenage romance. But..."

"You're like your mother", grunted Nico, raising one eyebrow. "You don't love half-heartedly, you give your all. Our alliances are secure at the moment and who knows what your sisters and brothers may be up to once they reach the right age. We don't... We don't need you to marry some fancy prince or lord. We're not going to force you into anything, little one."

"W—What does that mean?", asked Thess surprised, staring wide-eyed at his parents.

"It means that your little knight in shining armor can start courting you officially if he wants to, but no more sneaking around for 'secret' make-out-sessions. He can go the official way and wait fifteen months until you're sixteen and you can officially get engaged to each other."

"R—Really?", gaped Thess and threw himself at his parents. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Percy laughed as he ruffled his son's hair. Of course he'd do everything to make his children happy. He was a fair queen, but more than that, he was a loving mother. And he would always be.

/break\

"So, how long has he been having that mental meltdown?"

Annabeth stretched out, rolling her head to work the kinks out. She had only just returned to their private chambers to find Luke pacing a hole in the floor. Piper and Thea were sitting at the table, watching him in amusement, so Annabeth knew not to worry about whatever was going on. She had spend an exhausting amount of time in the library with Octavian and Rachel and she had been looking forward to a massage and maybe a relaxing orgasm or two with her loving wife. The problem with being married with four children were the family problems.

"Since King Nico – emphasis on the king here – dropped by and told Luke that he'd have to go through the official instances if he wanted to be with Luke", hummed Piper, grinning broadly.

"Which means he got the official blessing to court Thess", chimed Thea, giggling a bit.

"He... did?", grunted Annabeth surprised, frowning thoughtful. "How did that happen?"

"I asked him. He said that Thess finally came to them, told them he wants Luke and no one else. There was no way Percy wouldn't give their blessing, so Nico figured he could as well do it properly", answered Piper, pulling Annabeth into a kiss. "Now our son is going crazy, because he never actually thought he'd have a chance with the pretty prince."

"I'll go and talk to him", chuckled Annabeth, a sparkle in her eyes. "Luke. How are you?"

The blonde boy looked up at his mother with large, worried eyes. "H—How do I court?"

Annabeth laughed and pulled him into a tight hug as Luke seemed to crumble. "Flowers, chocolate, compliments. Just keep treating him the way you do, like he's the most valuable person on this entire planet, and you'll be fine. You know you'll have to be patient though, right?"

"Yeah. No more kissing until he's sixteen and no more sneaking around until we're married", muttered Luke, heaving a sigh. "B—But Thess is totally worth it. Totally worth the wait."

"I know", smiled Annabeth, smothering Luke's hair. "Because you love him."

"With all my heart, mom", mumbled Luke, nodding into her shoulder.

/break\

"I got a letter from Donny!"/"Sander wrote me!" - "They're engaged!"

Trend raised one eyebrow and looked up at his two hyper-excited lovers. Sam was leaning against the door-frame, by now looking like he swallowed a globe, glowing with happiness as he waved around a letter. Derek had a face-splitting grin on his face too as he waved a letter of his own.

"That's nice", nodded Trend amused. "So they finally got that straight, mh?"

"Donny can't wait to show off his ring, says Sander got it from Nico, together with the king's blessing, eh. He spend like three pages describing the silly thing", snorted Derek with a giggle.

"Sander has been going on for five pages about Donny's reaction alone", chuckled Sam, slowly making his way over to their bed and carefully sitting down. "Huh. Man, I'm exhausted."

"Healers told you to rest", chided Derek with a glare and crawled onto the bed next to Sam, kissing his cheek. "Stubborn, gorgeous queen. You're gonna stay right in this bed, you hear me?"

"Only if you stay with me", hummed Sam with his best manipulative pout.

He grinned widely when Derek sighed in defeat and cuddled up to him. Trend heaved a sigh and put the papers he had been working on down. He was not gonna get any work done when his husbands were just cuddling and kissing on the bed, the noises were entirely too distracting. Climbing into the bed, he got comfortable on Sam's other side, resting a large hand on Sam's stomach.

"The little princess will move out soon and we'll get to meet her and thus also see Donny and Sander again so Donny can proudly show off his ring", stated Trend simply.

"Yeah. Can't wait for it", grinned Derek, kissing Sam's stomach.

"Preaching to the choir", snorted Sam with a glare. "I miss cooking and sparring with Trend and not having to pee every five fucking minutes and generally just _moving around_."

"Poor sweetheart", cooed Derek and kissed Sam tenderly on the lips.

"Though she's gonna be the cutest little darling ever", sighed Sam with a dreamy smile, looking down at the round stomach blocking the view on his feet. "I miss my feet."

"Don't worry, they're still there", snickered Derek teasingly, playing footsie with Sam.

"Yeah, I know. I just want to _see_ them again. I'm glad when I can carry the baby around on my arm instead of inside my stomach", groaned Sam, burying his face in Trend's neck.

"Poor babe", whispered Trend, running his fingers through Sam's hair. "Soon, my love. Soon."

Sam sighed and settled for more comfortable, enjoying the attention from the two men he loved. He really couldn't wait for their daughter to properly join them. He had never been that happy before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is already the grand finale! Our little princess joins the cast, leading to Derek and Sam's wedding, thus a big reunion between our friends!


	20. Another Royal Wedding and Another Royal Heir

_Chapter 20: Another Royal Wedding and Another Royal Heir_

Derek had been gay all of his life. Even before he could walk, he knew he was gay. He knew he would never love a girl. Yet here she was, the most perfect and beautiful girl in the world. She was mesmerizing and utter perfection and Derek wanted to be at her side forever and protect her from everything evil on this world, shelter her and shower her with the love she deserved.

"Derek, do you want to hold her, my king?" Derek grunted startled, looking up. "Your daughter?"

Nodding slowly, Derek reached his shaky hands out. Trend smiled amused at that. Sam had just given birth and Trend had insisted to oversee the affair and make sure nothing happened to the baby – there were always oppositions, rebels who sought out to slaughter the royal family, starting with the easiest target. Trend had overseen the check-up of the baby himself. A healthy little baby girl. Sam was still pretty much knocked out on the bed, Sara with him and brushing a wet cloth over his forehead. Derek sat next to the bed, his eyes glued to Trend – or rather the baby in the blonde's arms. Trend had taken her as soon as the healer confirmed that she was alright. Smiling at his king, he placed the little one in Derek's arms. Never before had he seen Derek with such an open and awe-struck expression on his face. He looked afraid to drop the baby.

"B—Baby...", panted Sam as he regained his bearings more or less. "I—Is the baby..."

"She's fine, love", assured Trend and sat down on Sam's other side, taking over for Sara. "You, go and inform the waiting ministers outside that Fólannia has a princess."

The little ginger nodded hastily and rushed out of the room. Trend leaned down to kiss Sam's forehead, trying to smooth the worry-lines away. Not that it would help. Part of Sam would be worried and uneasy until he was actually allowed to hold his child. Now the problem at hand was the still starstruck king on Sam's other side, completely petrified as he stared at the baby.

"Baby...", repeated Sam with pleading eyes.

"Derek", said Trend a little sharply. "Won't you introduce our princess to your queen?"

Derek's head snapped up like the spell had been broken. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the worried and worn-out carrier laying in the bed. He hastily leaned over to place their daughter in Sam's arms, even though it was incredibly hard to let go of this perfect little human.

"It's a... we have a... uh... d—daughter", stammered Derek, brain slowly catching up with him.

Relief flooded Sam as the warm and soft little girl was placed in his arms. He loved Trend and Derek very much, but somehow he just hadn't been able to shake off the concern about not getting to be his child's mother. But here she was. Large, dark-green eyes stared up at him sleepily. The little pink worm was wrapped in a red cloth, so tiny and breakable and amazing.

"H—Hello", whispered Sam, voice hoarse, smile tender.

Derek, who had finally properly caught up with the situation, laid down next to Sam, caressing the baby's cheek. "Look, little princess, that's your mommy. And I'm your daddy. And that looming blonde one over there is your papa. We're going to love and protect you for the rest of your life."

It was the most reassuring feeling Sam had ever experienced. Holding his daughter, hearing those words, having Trend and Derek close to him. Everything was alright. Everything was brilliant.

"What... What are we going to name her?", asked Sam with a frown, kissing her nose.

"We still have a little time to decide", assured Derek, nosing Sam's cheek. "Let's rest for now."

"Rest... yes...", agreed Sam with a wide yawn. "Just... a minute..."

"You just gave birth. You can rest as long as you want", chuckled Trend, placing a soft kiss on Sam's temple. "Rest. We'll be here when you wake up. And so will our baby."

As though to agree with her papa, the little girl babbled softly.

/break\

"They have a daughter! They have a daughter! They have a daughter!"

Percy fell off the bed at the loud voice that came closer and closer, accompanied by the tapping of feet, loud enough to be a whole army. He stared around a little bewildered. Nico looked as exhausted and confused, yet he still walked over to check on Dora like a zombie. It was endearing. Just as Nico shouldered their youngest, who had started crying upon all the commotion, the doors burst open. First came Donny, waving a piece of paper around like it was a white flag, left of him were Thess and Percy Junior, right of him were Silly and Jimmy and right behind him was Jack. Once the youngest boy caught up with his siblings, he pushed past them to jump on his parents' bed.

"What in the _world_?", asked Percy confused, smoothing his hair a bit.

"Derek! Letter! Baby!", gasped Donny, trying to catch his breath.

"What? Again, in whole sentences, son", ordered Nico a bit irritated.

Donny gasped for breath and sat down next to Jack. Within moments, there were nine di Angelos cramped on the bed. Nico was glad they had such a giant bed. He shifted closer to his husband as Thess snuggled up to him to kiss Dora good morning and tickle her stomach.

"Hey, little sis", grinned Thess. "Your first playmate has been born."

"Derek wrote me. The official invitation to the baptism of Princess Cornelia Salene, of the clan of Rhys, heir to King Derek, future ruler under the moon of the Fólannian Islands", explained Donny, reading the last part off the letter. "She's a healthy little baby girl! Oh and there'll be a wedding and a coronation! Sam will be officially queen! We have one month until the celebration!"

A month's notice was enough for their allies from farther away to come and attend. Nico smiled proudly. He knew that Derek was probably eager and antsy to get this all over with and be married to the man he loved, but there were protocols and as the king, he had to invite his allies to this. The smile fell when he realized that he'd have to deal with the eager babbling of his children.

"Oh, I can't wait to get to the dress-maker with Kitty", declared Percy Junior with sparkling eyes.

"...You're not wearing all-black on a wedding", warned her mother sternly.

At once, Sally Persephone's face fell. "But mo—om!"

"No. We're all dressing in the colors of our country. Black, blue and silver. Though we will _not_ have black dominating, not when we go to a light celebration", stated Percy and shook his head.

While his daughter started pouting, Thess and Silly started enthusiastically designing robes. They always did and thankfully enough they were also talented. Smiling to himself, Nico settled in for a cuddly morning of planning to attend an event one month ahead of them.

/break\

Sander had no idea what to pack. What was he supposed to wear on a wedding? A baptism? A coronation? _All three at once_?! And as the official date of the future queen of Itannwn at that! All the responsibility! It was the first time he was going to represent their country, as the... as the future king. He was going to be Donny's plus one, he was engaged to Donny. Sure, he had been so for a few months now, but they hadn't actually left the palace. In another country however? He needed to represent Itannwn. All the allies of Fólannia were also the allies of Itannwn. Lots of kings and queens and advisers who were going to judge him, to measure if he'd make a good king, a worthy future ally to them. Why was breathing so hard again? And did the walls come closer?

"Calm down, San. It's going to be just fine. Breath with me, mh? In and out, slow."

The voice was low and soothing and beautiful and someone was breathing into his face and he started adapting to the pattern. When he was calm again, he realized that Donny was sitting in front of him on the ground, holding onto his upper arms, forehead resting against Sander's.

"D—Donny", mumbled Sander embarrassed.

"Yeah?", grinned Donny amused, placing a short kiss on Sander's lips. "Alright again?"

"Y... Yeah", nodded Sander and heaved a sigh. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?", asked Donny confused as the two of them got more comfortable.

"Just... be there when I need you", explained Sander, ruffling his hair. "Whenever I feel like... it's all way too much and that I'm just... not good enough to be with a _queen_ , you're just... there. And you're amazing and loving and reassuring. When you're there, I feel like I could actually do it..."

"Good", whispered Donny with a tiny grin, pecking Sander's lips. "Now, do you want to tell me what happened, mh? Maybe I can help even more?"

All Sander could do was grin. Man, he loved Donny _so much_. Sander had grown up in slavery, had gotten the mantra that he wasn't good enough, wasn't worth a thing, would never be anyone beaten into him early on. And now, all of a sudden, he was supposed to believe that he was good enough to be the _king_? To rule beside this utterly perfect human being? Sometimes, Donny was just _so strong_. This small, petite, sweet guy could be so strong and catch Sander when he fell down such a hole and Donny could build him back up again like it was completely effortless. It was amazing.

"I just... I realized that this is the first time I'll _go_ anywhere as... as your fiance. As... the future king. And all those people will look at me and think that I'm not fit for the throne", admitted Sander.

Donny's eyes softened. He loved Sander just so very, very much and he hated to see the brunette so down. How could Sander not see just how perfect he was? Because Donny saw it. Saw all the kindness and love and gentleness, yet also his strengths. He was good with a sword, he was a fast learner – not just the knight's training but also the special lessons he had with Octavian and Annabeth to ensure that he would be fit for the throne – he always cared for others and was good at finding solutions. He already settled disputes between Donny's siblings very well and Donny couldn't help but picture what kind of king and what kind of father Sander would be. Of course he understood. He knew the life Sander had so far and he knew that it had left deep scars that may never properly heal, but that didn't stop Donny from wishing for it.

"Oh, if that's all, I'll just sign you up for a few hours with Silly", smiled Donny, before pausing. "Both Sillys, that is. Silena taught my siblings and me how to behave properly on a ball and toward other officials, to make sure we won't embarrass our parents. And my little sister is completely en par with her on that. She's the properest princess ever. Sounds good?"

Sander managed a half smile and a short nod. "Sounds good. Thanks, Donny. You're amazing."

A blush dusted Donny's cheeks at that and he averted his eyes. He just couldn't grasp how Sander's eyes could look that loyal and adoring, as though Donny had just solved all of the kingdom's problems for him and brought a chocolate cake to top it all off. Such a little gesture that was completely natural for Donny. Of course he'd do everything in his powers to comfort his Sander.

"Just... focus on how much you're looking forward to seeing Trend, Derek and Sam again, mh? And meeting their daughter", advised Donny with a grin. "Because _that_ is the important thing."

Sander nodded in agreement, eyes sparkling. Sure, he had been writing letters with Sam those past nine months, but that just wasn't the same thing as seeing him again. If his friend had changed much since they had last seen each other? Did he look queen-ly now?

/break\

Man, did he look queen-ly. It was embarrassing and ridiculous and dumb and-

"You're beautiful", whispered Derek in total awe, staring wide eyed.

-and maybe worth the embarrassment considering how cute Derek and Trend were looking at him at the moment. Ruffling his hair awkwardly, Sam turned to face them properly. He was wearing robes fit for a queen. White and light green, accented with golden embroidery and emeralds.

"Ready to face the world, love?", asked Trend with a light teasing to his voice.

"Can I just hide in my rooms until this mess is over?", whined Sam, burying his face in Trend's chest. "I feel so ridiculous. I just wanna hide under my blanket until tonight. Can I? Please?"

"Donny and Sander are on their way", offered Derek with a playful grin. "Marshall reported that he and his division saw their carriages on their way back to the castle. You wanna miss then?"

"...Cheap shot", mumbled Sam, quite obviously pouting.

Derek grinned a little as he intertwined his fingers with Sam's and pulled him along. Trend followed, with the little princess in his arms. She was dressed in the same colors as Sam, her robes so long they nearly touched the ground as she was in her papa's arms. Everyone was already gathered when the four of them entered the cathedral of the palace. They all stood as the fanfares announced the king and his heir. Sam's grip on his hand tightened and Derek rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand. Sam's back straightened and he followed Derek's lead, up to their capital's priest Paul. He offered them a kind smile as he took the princess. From there on out, Derek droned the ceremony pretty much out. He had never been a religious person. Not that he'd ever dare to voice that. What king didn't respect their church? So he obediently attended all services and put up a faithful face. To him, this whole shtick was pretty ridiculous. The priest dripped some water onto the head of Derek's baby girl, announced her name and then they could move on. So he took the time to look around their guests. In the first row sat Sam's family, Derek had made sure of that. He didn't care about protocol, he cared about his family. Sam and Trend, and now their daughter, were his family. He'd always ensure they were happy and content. Jolene Raser was crying tears of joy into her sister's shoulder, proud of her boy and happy about her granddaughter. Along with Sam's family were the lords of the Fólannian Islands, the counts who represented Derek's will on the different islands of the peninsula. Second row featured King Nico and Queen Percy, both looking no less proud than Sam's mom, which caused Derek to blush a little and duck his head. And they had brought _everyone_. Dora on Nico's lap and Jack on Percy's, Donny with Sander next to him, Thess and Percy Junior, Silly and Jimmy, who were waving wildly, trying to gain Sam's attention. Smiling a little at the royal family, Derek moved on to see who else had come. He saw Queen Drew and King Bryce, not his favorite allies but a necessary bond nonetheless. King Shane and Queen Lacy were a row behind them, both still rather young and inexperienced themselves, owing the late King Matthew the same kind of debt as Nico had and thus clinging to this alliance just like Derek, desperate to keep up what their respective parents had achieved. There were King Dakota and Queen Leila, talking in hushed voices to King Nathan and Queen Gwen. Those two couples had long been close friends. If one were to cut the alliance, so would the other, most likely. So much responsibility. He had never felt under so much pressure before. But this, showing them that their kingdom had an heir, a future, reassuring them that Fólannia was still strong, it was important.

"Derek, it's your turn now", whispered Trend next to him, nudging him.

It was a little painful for Trend to watch, he had to admit that. The two people he loved most were getting married. Sure, he was already married to them, by the laws of another kingdom, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was their love and that the three of them knew it. He took Cornelia Salene back from the priest, resting her against his chest. She giggled and looked at him. She was what mattered most, that much was for sure. He chanced a glance at Derek and Sam, smiling as he noticed just now nerve-wrecked they looked. They were adorable, really.

"Do you, King Derek, First of his Name, Heir to King Matthew and Ruler over the Fólannian Islands by the Blood of House Rhys, take this carrier to be your queen?", asked Priest Paul.

"I do", nodded Derek hastily, licking his dry lips.

"And do you, Samuel Elijah James, agree to become Our Grace and Godsend Queen, to carry on the Blood of House Rhys and rule beside King Derek, to be his Faithful Wedded?", asked Priest Paul.

All Sam could think that it were entirely too many titles to be comfortable with. "I—I do."

Sam wasn't sure what would follow. Would they kiss now? But Priest Paul turned toward one of his little helpers, who was holding a fluffy dark-green pillow. On top of said pillow rested the crown. The queen's crown that had rested upon the queen's throne, with a black veil thrown over both to show the castle's mourning. Now it was time to move on. A new king ruled and with him a new queen. Sam was shaking a little, his nervousness growing by the second. The crown was elegant and slim, with a large emerald set in the highest peak. There were five triangles rising from the golden ring, the middle one the largest. The other four were smaller and bestowed with jade. It didn't look heavy, but it sure felt that way as it was placed on Sam's head. With it came the responsibility of watching over this kingdom and its people.

"I hereby announce you Samuel Elijah James, Our Grace and Godsend Queen, Carrier of the Blood of House Rhys and ruler beside King Derek, his Faithful Wedded", called out the priest. "Now, would you like to kiss your queen, my king? To seal this bond in the eyes of God."

Derek didn't much care about God's eyes – every country had another god or pantheon or _creature_ , how could any of them be arrogant enough to claim theirs is the only true one was beyond him – but he sure cared about kissing Sam. And kissing he did. With all the passion and love he could muster, with the applause and cheers from all their guests in the background.

"You can... stop kissing now. Before one of you passes out from lack of air", noted Trend amused.

/break\

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!", was screamed at him from two sides.

And suddenly, Sam was being hugged tightly by both his mother and Queen Percy. The two adults realized that and backed off, staring at one another in wonder before laughing and introducing themselves. And with that, Sam lost both of them. They started talking about him like he wasn't there so he decided to sneak off to Sander and Donny. Where he was stuck in the middle of another hug. Not that he minded. He loved the hugging. The di Angelos were seated at the same table as the Rhyses and the Rasers. Sam's uncle Liam was showing little magic tricks to Jack, Jimmy and Silly, all three watching in awe. Derek was engaged in a conversation with Nico, a little flushed so he was apparently getting praised by the King of Itannwn. Each king had their baby girl sitting on their labs, though Dora and Corny (as Sam preferred to call her, because Cornelia Salene may be a fitted name for a queen but far too long and pompous for a little girl) were more interested in each other. They reached chubby hands out to grab one another, babbling and giggling.

"I missed you so—o much!" Sam grunted as he was lifted off the ground and whirled around by Sander. The young knight put him back down again, grinning as he buried his face in Sam's neck.

"I missed you two too", mumbled Sam, reaching out to also pull Donny into the hug again.

"If you don't mind, you should take your seat... my queen", interrupted Trend in amusement.

He placed one hand on Sam's lower back and guided him to the head of the table. Upon noticing the pouts on Donny's and Sander's faces, he motioned for them to follow. There were two larger chairs, throne-like but not as impressive as the actual thrones in the throne-room, with the crib set left to the slightly smaller one and a nearly ordinary chair right to the king's seat. Trend put the baby princess into the crib and told Sam with a glance to sit in the seat next to the crib. Sam blushed as he took the queen's seat. It was his spot now. He was the queen now. Derek sat down next to him, taking his hand and smiling reassuringly at Sam. Trend took his seat right to Derek, as the king's right hand and chief adviser. King Nico, Queen Percy and the Rasers sat down on the length of the table on Derek's side, while Donny, Sander and the little di Angelos sat down on Sam's side.

"You're a real-proper queen now?", asked Silly loudly, leaning over Sander and Donny to reach Sam and stare curiously at the other. "And the little one is your daughter, right? That means she's a princess! Can I teach her princess-stuff when she's older? Pretty-please!"

Sam smiled softly. "Couldn't think of a better fit teacher than you, Silly."

"Yes!", yelped Silly with a large, proud grin. "She'll be an awesome princess then!"

"Of course she will, with such a great teacher", grinned Sam and leaned over to ruffle her hair.

"So, how's life as the queen?", inquired Donny curiously, admiring the authority and glow that Sam seemed to be radiating. "It does suit you, that much is for sure. You look happy. Carefree."

"I... guess I am", replied Sam and ducked his head bashfully. "W—What about you though? Sander's been going on and on about his proposal to you and how your siblings are planning the wedding already. That true? Do you guys already have a date set?"

Now it was Donny's turn to blush and look bashful because Sam had turned the tables. "No date yet, no. But yes, Sander's proposal was... very sweet. And kinda unexpected. I mean, I did expect it to happen, just not so soon, I guess. And yes, my darling little siblings are in full-out planning mode."

"It'll be awesome and beautiful and in blue, with lots of pearls and sapphires and blue and white roses!", interrupted Silly with sparkling eyes. "And big brother will be a pretty bride!"

"Oh, I've already started designing his robes! They'll be _splendid_ ", added Thess dreamily.

Sam smiled as he listened to Silly and Thess telling him every little detail they had decided upon already, all while watching how Sander and Donny both blushed more and more. Sam reached one hand out into the crib to tickle Corny's stomach a little. Trend was talking to Sam's mother and Percy by now, apparently about Sam – which was most likely ending with embarrassing stories.

"And Luke is now officially courting Thess", chimed Donny mischievously.

"He is?", asked Sam surprised, looking up. "Well, congratulations on that, Theseus."

"Thanks", grinned Thess sheepishly, blushing brightly. "Though it's really embarrassing... Last week, I woke up covered in rose-petals. Literally covered in rose-petals!"

"Aw, cute", cooed Sam teasingly, laughing softly.

He loved this, right now. This moment, it was perfect. He was joking with friends, he had his family with him – his whole family, parents and husbands and daughter – and he felt... free. Absolutely free, like there was nothing holding him back. He had a whole life ahead of himself and he was looking forward to every single day of it. And that was a damn good feeling.

"I was thinking about maybe a winter wedding", stated Donny after a short while.

"What? No! That completely defies our color-schemes!", exclaimed Silly scandalized.

"Oh. We could go with lighter blue and white, it would be beautiful", offered Thess.

And those two were off rearranging the wedding once more. Donny smiled at them amused before turning to his very attentive parents and his brilliantly blushing fiance. Trend, Derek and Sam were looking at him too, all spotting rather similar grins as they observed him.

"So you want to give us a reason to visit in half a year?", teased Derek playfully.

"Well, I just... being engaged for too long does look... strange, doesn't it? But a year seems to be an appropriate time, right?", questioned Donny with a thoughtful frown.

"I think it's a wonderful plan", said Percy in support, smiling gently at his son.

And it was. Due to its tall and wide mountain-range, Itannwn was prone for snow in the deepest winter. It looked pure and sensational and surely fit for a wedding. And when he saw Donny and Sander, Percy saw just how deep their love ran. He was happy for his son. His sons, of course. Thess and Luke had that same light to themselves when they were together. It reminded him very much of himself and Nico when their relationship had blossomed. Thinking of Nico... Percy turned toward his husband and took Dora from him. She was, once again, pulling her daddy's hair. The king looked gratefully at Percy and stole a tentative, small kiss.

"You get to look forward to that", grunted Nico, brushing his wet hair back. "That beautiful phase where they put absolutely _everything_ in their mouths. You won't have a dry piece of scroll left."

Trend looked utterly horrified at that prospect, prompting Percy to laugh. Derek looked offended, as though his child was above such nonsense. And Sam just looked... happy. Percy smiled knowingly.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! The end! I had a lot of fun writing this, because the circumstances were so different from canon that especially Sam, Sander and Donny and the way they acted and reacted were amazing to write. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Thank you all for reading and even more so for reviewing ;)


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